Miss-Delectable
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Cinemas make changes for deaf, blind patrons - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
New technology will start being rolled out later this year in major movie cinemas, making it possible for deaf and blind people to follow the film they are watching.
The digital technology, which includes providing captions and audio descriptions, will be introduced for films screened by the four major cinema groups.
The federal parliamentary secretary for disabilities, Bill Shorten, says by the end of 2014 there will be at least one screen in each cinema using the technology.
"This is the start of a process, it's not a static development," he said.
"I know that people with disability and the cinema industry will be able to say we are an example of what is possible in this country if people with goodwill sit down, work through the issues, respect each other's point of view and actually put people first."
The federal disability discrimination commissioner, Graham Innes, is himself blind, and says such a move is well overdue.
"When the rollout is completed at the end of 2014, Australia is on track for having one of the highest per capita rates of cinema access in the world," he said.
"This is a great outcome for people with a disability, for the 2.5 million Australians who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment and for the 300,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision."
New technology will start being rolled out later this year in major movie cinemas, making it possible for deaf and blind people to follow the film they are watching.
The digital technology, which includes providing captions and audio descriptions, will be introduced for films screened by the four major cinema groups.
The federal parliamentary secretary for disabilities, Bill Shorten, says by the end of 2014 there will be at least one screen in each cinema using the technology.
"This is the start of a process, it's not a static development," he said.
"I know that people with disability and the cinema industry will be able to say we are an example of what is possible in this country if people with goodwill sit down, work through the issues, respect each other's point of view and actually put people first."
The federal disability discrimination commissioner, Graham Innes, is himself blind, and says such a move is well overdue.
"When the rollout is completed at the end of 2014, Australia is on track for having one of the highest per capita rates of cinema access in the world," he said.
"This is a great outcome for people with a disability, for the 2.5 million Australians who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment and for the 300,000 Australians who are blind or have low vision."