Posted on 09/15/2013 10:47:43 PM PDT by kingattax
The Obama administration is nearing completion of a proposal to require that movie theaters offer technology so blind and deaf people can go to the cinema.
The draft rule, which is part of a decades-long effort by advocates for people with disabilities, would likely require thousands of movie theaters across the country to offer devices that display closed captioning and provide audio narration of whats happening onscreen.
Disability associations say that the new regulation will make sure that blind and deaf people can appreciate the latest blockbuster just like everyone else.
But theater owners worry that a federal mandate will force small, rural and struggling theaters to close given the costs associated with the rule.
These theaters can barely stay in existence and often need community support to break even, the trade group wrote in a comment to the Justice Departments 2010 precursor to the upcoming proposal. To require them to install expensive closed captioning technology at this time is an undue financial burden that may result in these theaters closing.
(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...
There’s nothing holding them back from going.
This wuz a funny thread.
you meant to post to Jeff Chandler
Excellent. Now if they’d only make arrangements for dead patrons, the roster of attendees would be complete.
>> Disability associations say that the new regulation will make sure that blind and deaf people can appreciate the latest blockbuster just like everyone else
That’s an impossibility, Julian.
I think it’s great that we collectively strive to improve the lives of the disadvantaged, but to make law about the things stated in the article??? That’s asinine, and an unnecessary burden on the cinema industry in this case.
Similar rules have been in place for broadcast television for years. Closed captioning and descriptive video service.
However, broadcast uses the public airwaves, so the FCC has jusrisdiction to dictate terms of use.
What authority does the government have to dictate what a private movie producer and a private movie theater must do? It is Bob Dole’s ADA.
“but you cannot make a blind person SEE a movie.”
I always wondered if the blind took mind altering controlled substances, would they “see” stuff? Hallucinate? Would be hard to describe what you’ve never seen.
GREAT!
Now, in accordance with the 1995 law that ALL regulations passed BY Congress MUST apply to Congress & Staff, this new regulation will FIRST be enacted to cover the totally BLIND & DEAF Congress BEFORE it is applied anywhere else.
Implementation of the Congressional portion of this will be handled by the Tea Party.
Then, the only thing missing would be voter registration at the concession stand.
concession stand...that might be moochelle’s next target
Seems far better to simply have the studios prepare and make available for download from the Internet such audio augmentation for the blind.
As to the deaf, I imagine something similar could be worked out that could be downloaded to glasses. Far better if you’ve such a handicap to own and take such a system in to the theater on your own than to reuse equipment from the theater—yuck!
And better economics all around, I’m sure.
Everyone should read Kurt Vonnegut’s “Harrison Bergeron”, or see the excellent short film “2081” based on the story. It is a perfect depiction of the liberal notion of “fairness”.
You're joking, right?
Well this will certainly put a knife in an already ailing business.
If the deaf are wearing special goggles, that wouldnt be so bag. Its not as though that would affect me, but it would put smaller theatres at a disadvantage, because they couldnt afford this technology.
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They wouldn’t be at a disadvantage. They would just have to close.
That’s a whole ‘nother aspect to it. Technology can only do so much. Maybe someday, visual images can be fed directly into the brain. There may be research going on but, AFAIK, such a thing is years, if not, decades away from widespread use. What a breakthrough that would be for the blind.
No extra beet or vodka rations without an executive waver.
Just let the blind people bring their seeing-eye dogs to the movies, then the dogs can whisper to them what is going on.
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