FYI, Please distribute widely. One may argue and probably will about the
benefit of these types of systems that provide audio description in movie
theaters to provide information to visually impaired patrons. Hopefully we
won't waste list band width on that. However the systems are here, and they
need to work properly. So I am passing on this information for those
interested in this issue.
Reg
From Kim Charlson:
Hello All,
I have been asked to circulate the following information on this issue
relating to audio description:
The California Council of the Blind, the San Francisco Lighthouse and
Disability Rights Associates are working together as organizational clients,
along with individuals nationwide on a case relating to the provision of
audio description services by AMC, and a continuing failure by AMC to
provide functioning audio description equipment.
Disability Rights Advocates and Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld are
investigating complaints from blind individuals who have been unable to use
audio description services at American Multi-Cinema, Inc. (“AMC”) movie
theaters. We are interested in speaking with legally blind individuals who
have encountered problems when attempting to use audio description services
at AMC theaters.
Audio description refers to recorded audio that provides synchronized
descriptions of a movie’s key visual details during natural pauses in dialog
during the movie. Many popular films are released with the audio description
feature. Movie theaters provide access to audio description by issuing upon
request wireless handsets and headphones that play the audio description
track during the movie. This configuration allows blind customers to listen
to both the dialog and sound effects in a movie and descriptions of the
visual aspects of the film.
If you are legally blind and you have been unable to access audio
description services at AMC theaters because the audio description equipment
was malfunctioning, because AMC staff did not know how to configure the
audio description equipment, or for any other reason, we would appreciate
speaking with you about your experiences.
To share your experiences, please contact Charlotte Landes by phone at (415)
433-6830 or by e-mail at [email protected] or Julia Marks by phone at (510)
665-8644 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Thank you for sharing this request with your affiliate listservs.
Kim Charlson
_______________________________________________
ATI (Adaptive Technology Inc.)
A special interest affiliate of the Missouri Council of the Blind
http://moblind.org/membership/affiliates/adaptive_technology
