Making Movie Theaters Fully Accessible

Visiting the movie theater is a hugely popular pastime in the US. Over one billion movie tickets are sold every year in our country. Unfortunately, it can be difficult for people with hearing disabilities to enjoy spending time in theaters. Even if they benefit from the use of hearing aids or other devices, they may have difficulty understanding dialogue and other important movie sounds.

The technology to address this problem already exists. Closed captions for movies (dialogue printed on the screen as it is spoken) were invented by Emerson Romero in 1947. In the 1990’s, new technology was introduced that allows deaf people to read captions on private screens that do not distract the rest of the audience. Unfortunately, solutions like these still have not become widely available in theaters.

If you have a hearing disability, socializing with friends can be a challenge. At HearingPlanet, we want to help people with varying degrees of hearing loss access the technology they need. To speak with one of our hearing aid consultants, call us at 1-800-432-7669.

Private Captions

While many popular movies have been released with closed captions, this innovation has never become popular in mainstream movie theaters. The problem is that people who do not need the captions can be distracted by them and sometimes complain. One solution is the use of small screens that hearing impaired people can attach to their theater seats. That way, they can read captions while hearing people do not have to.

There are currently several companies producing such products with varying designs. The Rear Window Captioning System, produced by MoPix (Motion Picture Access), projects captions from the back of the theater. They are then reflected in small screens that the hard of hearing can mount on their chairs. The technology produced by Personal Captioning Systems, Inc. utilizes small PDAs that receive captions from a central computer.

Sadly, theaters that offer this technology are still relatively rare. If you would like to find a closed caption theater near you, or contact a major theater chain to request more use of this technology, visit the Motion Picture Access website at http://ncam.wgbh.org/mopix/#advocate.

Contact a Hearing Aid Expert

At HearingPlanet, we believe that life should be fully accessible to people with hearing difficulties. To begin researching hearing aids and other accessories that may help you, contact our hearing aid specialists at 1-800-432-7669.