Movie theaters might be getting an
accessibility facelift in the near future!
According to officials at the U.S.
Department of Justice, new rules regarding captioning and audio
description in theaters have been proposed in compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act. Many theaters currently have
captioning and audio description devices already available for those
who request them, but the new rules would set a national standard for
accessibility.
At the moment, the proposal would apply
to digital screens (these movies are produced with captioning and
narration features), requiring theaters to provide a certain number
of accessibility devices. However, officials are considering whether
or not to apply these rules to analog screens as well.
Assistant attorney general for civil
rights at the Justice Department, Jocelyn Samuels, says that even as
the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities
Act approaches, many people within the disability community to not
have full access to all aspects of American life.
“Although some movie theaters are
making strides towards meeting their ADA obligations, there is a good
deal of inconsistency among theaters across the United States.”
Samuels says. “This proposed rules is intended to ensure that,
regardless of where a person with a hearing or vision disability
lives, that person will be able to attend movies with their friends
and family and fully enjoy this important social and cultural
activity.”
There are exceptions to the new
proposal, like for drive-in theaters that would require considerable
alteration for compliance.
Officials say the proposal will soon be
published in the Federal Register, at which time there will be a
60-day public comment period.
What do you think? Have you ever been
to a theater that didn't offer accessibility devices? (The first time
I learned about accessibility devices was a couple years ago here at
the Portland Art Museum during Kinofest Northwest, a German film
festival. Before that time, I never knew!)
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