Movie Captioning Access Update
Posted in Hearing on May 30, 2010
Closed captioning, available on most TV sets under "menu" or "set-up," offers those with many levels of hearing difficulty access to the dialog. This ranges from those who only look when they feel they have missed something, to others who solely read the dialog for their information. It has been a long debate how far the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) goes to provide captioning for those with disabling hearing loss in public venues. All theaters have had "assistive" devices available for check out which provide more volume and some added clarity for those with mild to moderate loss's. Those with more severe loss often do not have the ability to recognize words though, even at louder volumes, thus they are not helped by these systems.
"On April 30, 2010, a unanimous, three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires closed-captioning access in movie theaters." The decision is binding in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State.
We are lucky here in Washington State. Our disability laws are broader than the ADA and may mean that we see open captioning (everyone has access without having to request special equipment) moving into theaters soon. I'll keep you updated as I learn more.
For those who do use closed captioning on TV--do you know how easy it is to obtain telephones which provide you with captions of those on the phone? Our state's telecommunication mandates help provide these regardless of income. Please inquire, I welcome all questions regarding your hearing needs.
Michelle Batson, AuD
Doctor of Audiology