[Nfbc-info] Justice Department and Movie Theaters

[Lisa Hilas]

Thank you so much for sending this! It is very exciting and promising.

> On Jul 25, 2014, at 11:58 AM, Nancy Lynn via Nfbc-info <nfbc-info at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I got this from another list and thought you'd be interested.
> JUSTICE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
> ACT REGULATIONS TO EXPAND ACCESS TO MOVIE THEATERS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING
> AND VISION DISABILITIES
> 
> 
> WASHINGTON - The Justice Department announced today that Attorney General
> Eric Holder has signed a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to amend the
> Title III regulation for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to
> require movie theaters to provide closed movie captioning and audio
> description in order to give persons with hearing and vision disabilities
> access to movies.
> 
> "This proposed rule will allow all Americans, including those with
> disabilities, to fully participate in the moviegoing experience.  With this
> proposal, the Justice Department is taking an important step to ensure
> consistent access for people with vision and hearing disabilities," said.
> Attorney General Eric Holder.  "Twenty-four years after its passage, the
> Americans with Disabilities Act remains a critical tool for extending the
> promise of opportunity and inclusion for everyone in this country."
> 
> Closed movie captioning refers to captions that are delivered to the
> patron's seat and are visible only to that patron.  Audio description
> enables individuals who are blind or have low vision to enjoy movies by
> providing a spoken narration of key visual elements of a movie, such as
> actions, settings, facial expressions, costumes and scene changes.  Audio
> description is transmitted to a user's wireless headset.  The department is
> proposing to provide a consistent nationwide standard for movie theaters to
> exhibit movies that are available with closed movie captioning and audio
> description for all showings.  The department is also proposing to require
> theaters to provide a specific number of closed captioning and audio
> description devices.  Theaters need not comply with the proposed rule if
> doing so would cause an undue burden or fundamental alteration.  The
> department is not proposing to require movie theaters to add captions or
> audio description to movies that are not already produced and distributed
> with these features.
> 
> The department is proposing a six-month compliance date for movie theaters'
> digital movie screens and is seeking public comment on whether it should
> adopt a four-year compliance date for movie theaters' analog movie screens
> or should defer rulemaking on analog screens until a later date.
> 
> "As we celebrate the 24th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
> on Saturday, we are reminded that people with disabilities still do not have
> full access to all aspects of American cultural life," said Jocelyn Samuels,
> Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.  "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.  This
> proposed rule 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."
> 
> On July 26, 2010, the department published an Advance Notice of
> Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) asking how requirements for movie captions and
> audio description should be implemented.  The ANPRM sought public comment
> regarding the type of accessibility requirements for captioning and video
> [audio] description the department should consider, particularly in light of
> the industry's conversion to digital cinema technology.  The department
> received more than a thousand comments in response to the ANPRM and these
> comments were taken into consideration when developing the proposed rule.
> 
> The department intends to publish the proposed rule in the Federal Register
> in the near future, and public comments on the NPRM will be due 60 days from
> the date the rule is published.
> 
> The NPRM is available for review on  <http://www.ada.gov/> the ADA website.
> 
> Those interested in finding out more about the ADA may call the department's
> toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 (TTY 800-514-0383) or visit
> the ADA website.
> 
> 
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