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http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060731/SCENE03/607310304
Karen Lichtefeld was an avid moviegoer, but when a benign brain tumor caused severe hearing loss, she stopped going to the theater. Despite her advanced digital hearing aid, she was unable to hear the dialogue.
Instead, she rented DVDs so she could read the captions.
Now, thanks to technology called Rear Window Captioning (RWC) offered at Showcase Stonybrook on Hurstbourne Parkway and Showcase 16 at Preston Crossing in Okolona (both owned by National Amusements), Lichtefeld can once again join her friends at the theater to see new releases.
"It's the most fantastic thing," she said. "I have recently seen 'Superman,' 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' "
Many area theaters offer headsets that enhance a movie's audio for people with hearing difficulties. But the RWC devices at the two Showcase Cinemas in Louisville allow deaf people to see captions while watching the movie. Others in the theater see no captions.
Not all films are shown with the RWC system. It is generally available for the most recent releases.
The system involves a screen mounted at the rear of the theater upon which a reversed text of the movie's dialogue is displayed. A hearing-impaired patron positions a device that looks like a transparent panel attached to a bendable neck into the cup holder of her seat. The reflective acrylic panel is about the size of a sheet of notebook paper, or a large rear-view mirror. It reflects the captions from the back screen so they appear superimposed on the movie screen, where the viewer can read them while watching the movie. The device is portable and adjustable, which allows the patron to sit anywhere she chooses.
The RWC system was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of Boston.
Lichtefeld said as many as 200,000 people in Kentucky and Southern Indiana have a hearing impairment, and about half that number use hearing aids. As baby boomers age, the number of people with hearing disabilities is expected to grow.
If you are interested in using the RWC devices, which are free with the price of admission, consult the ticket sellers at either Showcase theater in Louisville or visit the National Amusements Web site, www.nationalamusements.com. The movies available with the captioning system are denoted by red initials: RWC. For a full list of theaters equipped with this kind of technology, visit www.mopix.com.
To learn more about technology available to help people with hearing loss, you can contact Paula Esterle at paula@Kentucky-shhh.org.
The Hearing Loss Association of Kentuckiana and Heuser Hearing Institute will provide information at a booth in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center at the upcoming Kentucky State Fair.
Karen Lichtefeld was an avid moviegoer, but when a benign brain tumor caused severe hearing loss, she stopped going to the theater. Despite her advanced digital hearing aid, she was unable to hear the dialogue.
Instead, she rented DVDs so she could read the captions.
Now, thanks to technology called Rear Window Captioning (RWC) offered at Showcase Stonybrook on Hurstbourne Parkway and Showcase 16 at Preston Crossing in Okolona (both owned by National Amusements), Lichtefeld can once again join her friends at the theater to see new releases.
"It's the most fantastic thing," she said. "I have recently seen 'Superman,' 'The Devil Wears Prada' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' "
Many area theaters offer headsets that enhance a movie's audio for people with hearing difficulties. But the RWC devices at the two Showcase Cinemas in Louisville allow deaf people to see captions while watching the movie. Others in the theater see no captions.
Not all films are shown with the RWC system. It is generally available for the most recent releases.
The system involves a screen mounted at the rear of the theater upon which a reversed text of the movie's dialogue is displayed. A hearing-impaired patron positions a device that looks like a transparent panel attached to a bendable neck into the cup holder of her seat. The reflective acrylic panel is about the size of a sheet of notebook paper, or a large rear-view mirror. It reflects the captions from the back screen so they appear superimposed on the movie screen, where the viewer can read them while watching the movie. The device is portable and adjustable, which allows the patron to sit anywhere she chooses.
The RWC system was co-developed by WGBH and Rufus Butler Seder of Boston.
Lichtefeld said as many as 200,000 people in Kentucky and Southern Indiana have a hearing impairment, and about half that number use hearing aids. As baby boomers age, the number of people with hearing disabilities is expected to grow.
If you are interested in using the RWC devices, which are free with the price of admission, consult the ticket sellers at either Showcase theater in Louisville or visit the National Amusements Web site, www.nationalamusements.com. The movies available with the captioning system are denoted by red initials: RWC. For a full list of theaters equipped with this kind of technology, visit www.mopix.com.
To learn more about technology available to help people with hearing loss, you can contact Paula Esterle at paula@Kentucky-shhh.org.
The Hearing Loss Association of Kentuckiana and Heuser Hearing Institute will provide information at a booth in the South Wing of the Kentucky Exposition Center at the upcoming Kentucky State Fair.
