Jen Dodds: Cinemas need to listen – it shouldn’t be this hard to book a ticket for Star Wars with subtitles (BSL)

I had the same problem with Star Wars in South Africa, no subtitles. Even though it was on IMAX 3D, iwith all the best technology, there is no subtitles available, and i watched movie because of the IMAX and 3D. But there is lots I missed, as I can only lipread so much, and when people are in view. Come on film makers!! The technology exists to have subtitles, or even a show that is specifically screened with subtitles, image the publicity, as it reaches out to second language viewers as well as Deaf and hoh.

It’s a second class service for us deaf people, isn’t it!

There is a Facebook campaign for improving access to cinemas, please join us. We support each other and make plenty of noise! https://www.facebook.com/groups/captioncinemas/

We have already been successful in getting more subtitled cinema screenings in London.

This is a great opportunity to approach UK cinemas and raise awareness of our access needs. I was shocked to learn through one of my business partners that 95% of UK cinemas ALREADY HAVE infrared headphones with 2 channels for sound/loop and audio description. The cinema staff receive little training, they just throw them in a drawer, they forget the batteries need checking, and they don’t tell the public that they have got these headphones.

We can change this. This cinema campaign aims to raise awareness of our access needs. There are 10 million hard of hearing and deafened people, and 360,000 blind people, who can use these headphones. But they often don’t benefit from the enjoyment of going to a cinema – because these headphones are usually left forgotten in the back of a drawer.

Many deaf people would like to see this change. With your help, we can do this, and change the cinema into an enjoyable experience for over 10 million people. It won’t cost them anything, as 95% of cinemas already have these headphones, but they don’t know how to use them and are not promoting them.

We have a headphones survey you can take with you when you visit the cinema, and feed back to us. We are working with Action on Hearing Loss to compile evidence on this issue to raise with the cinemas. Evidence from us, as users, will show the demand for better access is there.

We are also campaigning for more subtitled screenings.

Nothing about us, without us!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/captioncinemas/

You stated ‘Come on; it’s 2016! There must be a solution’. The problem is that there is a ready made solution.

All you need to do is; lift up one’s finger to press a correct button! So simple! Surely, this is much easier than giving free tickets away. Sigh!

I hardly ever do cinema because of this, I can’t face the stress and it’s just one accessfail too many for me. I have decided I can’t actively campaign on this as well as /everything/ else right now but I wish those of you who can, all the best! 🙂

Under UK Law as it stands I think as well as positive campaigning we need to sue every single time it happens, claim the damages, wasted travel, wasted time, injury to feelings, exclusion from group events. Make it more expensive for cinemas to screw up than to get it right. The stick alongside carrots.

If the campaigns mentioned by Tina don’t already have a “Pay up or I’ll small claims court you” letter, let me know and I’ll hack out a draft one for people to use and slot details into. That way individuals can easily send a complaint to cinemas which demands proper compensation OR risk legal action being taken against them (with increased costs)… If enough of us hammer cinemas with legal complaints that might also inspire them to ensure their info is accurate and they provide what they ought to be providing.

I recently went on holiday to the USA and found they have a lot of subtitled screenings in cinemas there. The reason is they don’t have to cater for the prejudices of many in the hearing community who dislike subtitles so much they refuse to watch anything with them.

They circumvent this by providing the deaf customers with one of two pieces of equipment that enable them to see the subtitles but not the rest of the audience. One is a pair of glasses, not dissimilar in appearance to modern 3D glasses, which receive the subtitles (presumably via Bluetooth) and display them so they appear at the bottom of the wearer’s field of vision. The other is like a mini stage-text screen which is anchored into the drinks-holder of the seat and has an extending, flexible arm so you can position it to suit. It had a visor so no light is given off, saving other audience members from being distracted.

Both of these systems seem to me to be a great way forward, as it should allow cinemas to show many more films with subtitles as hearing customers won’t even be aware of the subtitles so they can sell plenty of tickets. In turn, this means we will be able to see a much wider variety of films and at more convenient times.

Please contact cinemas in your area and request that they provide accessible, subtitled shows of popular films, at convenient days and times. Request that the cinema does its best to provide an equal service, to enable its customers with hearing loss to enjoy the cinema experience with family and friends.

Film companies ensure that all popular films are provided to UK cinemas with a subtitle/caption track. All cinemas can screen these films, whenever they choose. (Cinemas prefer to schedule subtitled shows in advance, rather than provide on-demand accessible shows). Most UK cinemas (around 450) provide subtitled shows regularly. Every week there are more than 1,200 shows nationwide.

Film companies also ensure that all popular films contain an audio description/narration track, to enable people with sight loss to enjoy films, via wireless headphones.

Accessible shows provide social benefits such as equality, inclusion and community integration. Like ramps, wheelchair spaces, disabled toilets & car park spaces, loop systems, elevators in shops and restaurants, and audio/text information on public transport, subtitles & audio description enable customers who need a little assistance to spend money on products and services.

Most subtitled shows are provided at ‘quiet’ times – during working or school hours. It’s very rare for a cinema to provide shows on Fri or Sat evening, the most popular cinema-going periods.

Because the number of people that require subtitles is small (compared to the overall number of cinema-goers), subtitled shows are usually less well-attended than regular, non-subtitled shows. So booking in advance is usually unnecessary.

The UK cinema industry is currently investigating ‘personal’ subtitle solutions that could replace separate, segregated shows with inclusive shows. In the USA, hundreds of cinemas are equipped with ‘subtitle glasses’. In Australia, many are equipped with small, seat-mounted screens. These ‘access’ features are invisible to the rest of the audience. Only the wearer/user sees the subtitles. In theory, any show can also be a subtitled show, making all shows inclusive – accessible to customers with or without hearing loss. A ‘personal’ subtitle solution could help increase the weekly number of subtitled shows. From 1,200 to more than 50,000.