Everyone Can Enjoy Open Captions at the Movies

During the pandemic, many Americans began streaming movies at home and turned on the captions to better understand the dialogue. Perhaps you were one of them.

Forty-eight million or 20% of Americans have some hearing loss, 25% for people 65 to 74, and 50% for people 75 and older. In Colorado alone, ~1.1 million people have some degree of hearing loss and may benefit from captioning.

Lesser-known facts are other disability communities or people learning English as a second language, and the general population uses captions. Captions are essential for a film's message to reach the masses at work, school, or home. Also, captions allow someone to watch TV or movies with the sound turned down or to overcome background noise.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Final Rule requires movie theaters to supply costly Closed Caption (CC) devices that permit only the device-user to see captions. Captioning stands have a base that inserts into the seat's cupholder or screws on dine-in trays with a long flexible pole connected to a unit displaying 1-3 lines of dialogue. Captioning glasses have a battery strapped around the neck.

Since not all trailers include captions, you cannot determine if the CC device works until the main feature's dialogue begins. In such cases, the magic of the movie experience shatters for you, your group, and others sitting nearby as you interrupt them when leaving the dark theater and miss part of the movie by seeking help at the front desk. Unfortunately, the movie is no longer ADA compliant when the device fails or the theater lacks enough working devices, even for one person. For more common CC problems, see this shortlist.

Not having to use ANY devices is a better solution. Plus, Open Captions (OC), also known as On-Screen Captions, satisfy the requirements of the ADA Final Rule.

Below is an example of captions where everyone can see captions on screen:

Do you know the difference between CC on TV newscasts and OC on movie films?
Newscasts' CC:

• move around
• scroll at varying speeds throughout the program
• are inaccurate, garbled, and delayed
• are not in sync with the scenes you are watching

Movie Theaters' OC:

• have stationary captions on the bottom of the screen
• take up very little space
• are shown in easily readable phrases that sync with what you watch directly on the screen

OC is reliable, inclusive, accessible, and convenient for all, regardless of age, size, disability, or ability.

Colorado advocates are working hard to increase OC showings. On June 12, 2021, Cinemark Theaters in Colorado began voluntary OC showings. Soon Regal, AMC, and other theaters followed suit.

To find OC showings in Colorado, visit tinyurl.com/COMovieTheatersWithOCPrograms,
or check your local listing.

If your local theater doesn’t offer OC, request OC to convey the demand. Do/Help/Know more by joining advocacy efforts and events with the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Colorado, other organizations, and individuals supporting OC. Learn more at Coming to a Theater Near You: Closed Captions and Open Captions at the Movies.

HearingLossColorado.org HLAABoulderOC@gmail.com

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