If you or a loved one all but gave up on going to the movies because of difficulty hearing, you have a new reason to check the listings on Fandango. The National Association of Theatre Owners has reached an agreement with advocacy groups on a new set of recommendations that will make the movie-going experience more accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
If you or a loved one all but gave up on going to the movies because of difficulty hearing, you have a new reason to check the listings on Fandango. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the National Association of Theatre Owners has reached an agreement with the Alexander Graham Bell Association and other advocacy groups on a new set of recommendations that will make the movie-going experience more accessible to the deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
Among other measures, the recommendations would require all digital movie theaters nationwide to install closed-captioning and audio description equipment. The agreement also establishes minimum closed-captioning device requirements and a system for tracking how many patrons use the equipment.
The agreement followed weeks of discussions and is a response to the Department of Justice, which is conducting a review of guidelines under the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to Anna Gilmore Hall, executive director of the Hearing Loss Association of America, this is a historic agreement and a “'Welcome Back' banner for people who had given up going to the movies simply because they could no longer hear.” Read the full story here.