New Jersey Theaters to Use Caption Devices for Deaf
By JOHN HOLL, NYTimes on the Web, September 16, 2004
NEWARK -- Four of the largest movie theater chains operating in New Jersey have agreed to install captioning devices for deaf and hearing-impaired patrons, the state attorney general's office announced on Wednesday.
But the office said a lawsuit was filed against another theater chain, Regal Cinemas, after efforts to reach an agreement on installation of similar devices failed.
Only three screens in three separate theaters, all of them in North Jersey, currently have the captioning devices, said
Frank Vespa-Papaleo, director of the State Division on Civil Rights.
Under the agreement, the theaters will use a technology called Rear Window in which deaf patrons receive a plexiglass device they can place in cup holders that will display reflected captions. Other customers cannot see the captions.
The theater chains that settled were American Multi-Cinema, of Kansas City, Mo.; Clearview Cinemas, owned by Cablevision, of Bethpage, N.Y.; Loews Cineplex Theaters, of New York; and National Amusements, of Dedham, Mass.
Mr. Vespa-Papaleo said the settlements were needed to comply with the Americans With Disabilities
Act.
Mr. Vespa-Papaleo said 39 screens at 34 theaters would feature the technology.
The theaters, which have already begun ordering and installing the technology, must have the systems operating within 90 days.
"When children cannot go to watch films that the rest of us can watch, it emphasizes their otherness,''
Attorney General Peter C. Harvey said. "It makes them feel like they are outsiders.
We are going to make sure that New Jersey is open to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.''
About 720,000 deaf and hearing-impaired people live in the state, he said.
The lawsuit against Regal Cinemas, which operates 152 screens in 12 theaters in the state, seeks immediate installation of captioning devices and unspecified damages.
Mr. Harvey said Regal Cinemas had expressed concern with the cost of the technology, about $12,000 per screen.
Regal Entertainment Group of Knoxville, Tenn., which operates Regal Cinemas, did not return several calls seeking comment on Wednesday.
It was not immediately clear if other states had reached similar agreements with theater chains or how many screens in the country are equipped with captioning devices.
There was no response to a message left with the National Association of Theater Owners.
Under the settlement, theaters must also advertise in print and on the Internet to inform the public what theaters have the devices.
They must also rotate first-run movies through their equipped theaters during prime theater times to ensure that deaf people have access to the same movies as other patrons.
Theaters must also install listening devices for blind people, which are similar to books on tape, Mr. Vespa-Papaleo said.
In addition to the dialogue, the device plays narrative about what is happening on screen.
Mr. Harvey also announced that his office had begun work to ensure that hospitals across the state have staff members who can assist deaf or hearing-impaired patients in emergency rooms.
(Emphasis Added)
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