Under the terms of the settlement, each chain must ensure that every location in Massachusetts is equipped with accessible technology that will provide meaningful access to the hearing and vision impaired, including captioning and audio description technology. The choice of technology has been left to the cinemas and is open to change as technology develops, but it is most likely the cinemas will use Rear Window Captioning and DVS Theatrical for audio description.
“Twenty years ago, this country signalled its unwavering commitment to the rights of people with disabilities, and today we take another step forward to improve access for all of our residents,” said Massachusetts Attorney General Coakley who brokered the agreement. “Movies are a significant part of our social and cultural fabric and these settlements help ensure that the hearing and visually impaired have meaningful access to them and may enjoy them alongside friends and family members.”
The settlement provides the greatest level of access for the hearing and vision impaired anywhere in the USA. It will ensure that 100% of these chains’ locations will have at least one accessible auditorium. For the first time hearing and vision impaired individuals will have a choice of accessible movie options at cinemas with 10 or more screens. As a result, the total number of accessible auditoriums in Massachusetts will increase by 450% from 14 to 63, and the number of locations with multiple accessible screens will increase from 0 to 27.
A detailed description of the settlement can be found on the Attorney General’s website. Australian cinema chains have also recently reached a new accessibility agreement. For more information about the Australian agreement, see the news section of the Your Local Cinema website.
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