[Nfbmo] Justice Department and Movie Theaters

Sat Jul 26 01:27:59 UTC 2014

I'm confused because congress already passed a law requiring movie theaters to do just this. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 25, 2014, at 4:17 PM, Fredolver via Nfbmo <nfbmo at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> As much as I am in favor of this effort, I can't help but wonder why more effort hasn't been made to make credit card except yours in grocery stores and department stores more accessible for those of us who are blind. It seems to me that more people who are blind spend more money and department stores and grocery stores than they do at the movie theater, Bas the effort to make these stores facilities more accessible hot to have a higher priority. To me there is nothing more disgusting than going to the grocery store and having to rely on someone else to make sure that my transaction is completed properly whether it be the store clerk or the person that I am with. This is true especially because I know that the technology is there to make the credit card except her is accessible. Just like the technology is there to make the visual signs on aircraft more accessible Fred Olver
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Jul 25, 2014, at 1:58 PM, Nancy Lynn via Nfbmo <nfbmo 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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