Going to the movies is a favorite pastime for many, but it can be difficult for those with disabilities to enjoy the same experience as everyone else. Fortunately, there are a number of drive-in movie theaters in Southern California that offer special screenings for disabled persons. The Department of Justice has included provisions in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that give theater owners and operators the option of using other technologies to meet the subtitling and audio description requirements of this rule. This includes the cost of all available equipment, such as Sony equipment, in its estimate of the unit costs of subtitling and audio description equipment for miniplex, multiplex and megaplex movie theaters.
Optional subtitles were first available for analog films in 1997, but were never available in many movie theaters. The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) provided information from an industry survey that was used to update the final estimate of the cost of accessibility requirements (AR). According to NATO, the vast majority of people who are deaf or hard of hearing will not use subtitling devices because they are only needed by people who have “severe hearing difficulties”, and hearing assistance receivers, which amplify the volume of sound, are already needed and are available in movie theaters.
Outreach Requirements
A federal agency recommended that the Department establish outreach requirements according to the optimal number of devices sufficient to provide accessibility to the disabled community (based on relevant factors such as device use, demand and attendance at the movies on weekends) and, at the same time, minimize the burden on small businesses. However, a trade association commented that many movie theaters still rely on single-channel headphones to meet their obligations for hearing aids and that the Department made a mistake in assuming that most movie theaters would not need to purchase additional devices to meet these range requirements. These commentators pointed out that while movie theaters close to areas with a high concentration of residents or students who are deaf or hard of hearing may experience greater demand for devices, a movie theater in a small rural area may receive only a few requests. The Department has not included specific logistical requirements related to the training of movie theater staff in its final rule.Final Regulatory Evaluation
The Department has prepared a final regulatory evaluation (final RA), which evaluates the likely costs and benefits of the rule for all movie theaters subject to the development of standards throughout the projected term of the rule (15 years).Cheaper subtitling devices with cup holders represent the largest percentage of the market share of subtitling devices, and NATO informed the Department that few movie theaters, other than major ones, actually use Sony's subtitling glasses. The Department has replaced “type of theater” with “type of place” in its final RA to avoid possible confusion with the classification of movie theaters according to projection system (i).An 18-month compliance date was chosen as the most appropriate option for all movie theaters showing digital films and is only deferring application of requirements to those showing analog films. The Department lacks adequate data on costs and burdens associated with record keeping practices in movie theaters with respect to provision of hearing aid receivers or subtitling and audio description devices. The Department has not added cost of Sony equipment to its estimate of unit costs for single-auditorium movie theaters because it is highly unlikely small movie theaters will buy most expensive equipment.
Making movies accessible for disabled persons is an important step towards creating an inclusive society. Movie theaters in Southern California have taken steps towards making their venues more accessible by offering special screenings for disabled persons. The Department of Justice has included provisions in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that give theater owners and operators options when it comes to meeting subtitling and audio description requirements. The National Association of Theater Owners (NATO) provided information from an industry survey that was used to update estimates on costs associated with accessibility requirements (AR).
A federal agency recommended outreach requirements based on device use, demand and attendance at movies on weekends. The Department has prepared a final regulatory evaluation (final RA) which evaluates costs and benefits associated with this rule over 15 years. Cheaper subtitling devices with cup holders represent a large percentage of market share while Sony's subtitling glasses are used mainly by major movie theaters. An 18-month compliance date was chosen as most appropriate option for digital films while record keeping practices related to provision of hearing aid receivers or subtitling and audio description devices still lack adequate data.
Movie theaters in Southern California have taken steps towards making their venues more accessible by offering special screenings for disabled persons.
