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Total Resource Guide:
Pursuant to FCC regulations,
all new television sets produced in the United States (with screens
of 13 inches or larger) are required to have built-in, line 21 closed-caption
capability in order to read closed-captioned programming. Check
your television manual for activating the closed caption feature
on your television set.
You may also purchase a "closed-caption television
set," which has more specialized features than a regular television
set. For a free informational brochure outlining capabilities, features
and options that a captioned television set provides, including
a checklist, brief history and explanation of regulations, line
21 captioning and technical information, send a self-addressed business-size
envelope with 41-cent postage on it to: EFTC ATTN: CTOPI 7712 Lankershim
Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91607-2815
Pursuant to Title III of the
ADA, assistive listening devices are available at all public movie
theaters and playhouses. However, they vary in quality and compatibility
with hearing aids. (Ask theatre personnel to make sure the device
and system is working and turned on before the movie or play begins.)
Also check local directories, newspapers, and theater associations
for listings of ASL signed productions.
A film having open captioning is a film printed
with subtitles; closed captioning requires a decoding device to
view captions.
Open captions contain dialogue, as well as descriptions
of sounds and music - vital elements that, like the set design and
costumes, set the tone and texture of a production. The soundtrack
still plays along with the film, regardless of a consumer's ability
to hear it. You’ll find several new, wide-release films with open captioning.
Open-captioned films are becoming increasingly
available in the United States and internationally. Several companies
produce character-generated subtitles. You or your group may wish
to request a theater owner to show open-captioned films. You may
be the first person to alert the theater owner of the need for open-captioned
films in the area. It's profitable for theaters to increase their
clientele by including deaf or hard-of-hearing customers through
available technology. Per your request, a company that distributes
open-captioned films will also contact a theater owner.
The Audience is Reading
InSight Cinema is a grass roots nonprofit that brings the Big Screen
Movie-Going experience back to the deaf and hard of hearing communities
throughout the United States. Created in November 2002, InSight
is playing on 237 screens nationwide. Visit InSight's Web site to
find out what open-captioned films are available in your area: http://www.insightcinema.org/index.html
Or email them to receive their weekly email notifications for your
area: info@insightcinema.org
National Amusements distributes open-captioned
films to 12,000 movie houses throughout the United States, Canada,
the United Kingdom and Latin America. See http://www.national-amusements.com
DVS Theatrical® delivers descriptive
narration via infrared or FM listening systems, enabling blind and
visually impaired moviegoers to hear descriptive narration on headsets
without disturbing other audience members. The narrative description
includes information about key visual elements that enhance the
meaning of a production (settings, scene changes, action, etc.).
These technologies have been available for several
years in specialty theaters, such as large-format movie theaters
and theme parks. Now they're available in some conventional movie
theaters. The best part about this dual system is that equipment
is already in place in some General Cinema theatres in Los Angeles
(Sherman Oaks), Chicago (Lombard), Seattle, and Atlanta.
Widespread proliferation of the new technologies
is expected to revolutionize the movie experience for the nation's
34 million people with hearing or vision loss or both. The production
of captioned films is expected to also greatly increase as movie
distributors and theater operators are made more aware of the demand
for them (and subsequent profit).
Don't forget to see foreign
films! Foreign films have subtitles so they've always been accessible
to people with deafness or hearing loss. Foreign films are culturally
enriching, which enhances the whole movie-going experience. Each
new country or genre provides a refreshing break from the formulaic
trend of popular movies here in the United States
Described and Captioned Media Programs, DCMP media library has over 4,000 free-loan described and captioned media titles available to registered Level 2 members, and members can watch media online or order a DVD copy to be shipped to them, from astronomy to zoology.
http://www.cfv.org
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