WonderBum
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Sorry I don't have the html links... as this was emailed to me...
Thursday, October 2 2003 - 01:59 pm Routine
CAPTIONED MOVIES ONE MORE TICK ON THE
LIST
NATIONAL (NZ), RURAL AND WEATHER DEAF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Chris Peters of NZPA
Wellington, Oct 2 - As captioned movies start screening in
Auckland and Christchurch today, it's another goal ticked off by
Deaf campaigner Kim Robinson.
The lobbyist last year saw the successful end to an eight-year
campaign to force the telecommunications industry to commit to
providing a phone relay service for the Deaf, hearing-impaired and
speech-impaired, and next on his list is television subtitles, with
political funding further down the line.
``It's a question of rights,'' he said this week.
``It is our right to be able to enjoy the same services as anyone
else.''
The genesis of his campaign was a year he spent as an exchange
student in the United States in 1990, where he saw facilities for
the deaf that he had only dreamed of in New Zealand.
Robinson, a community support worker who was deaf by the age of
12, met people with careers unheard of for deaf people in New
Zealand, such as surgeons, lawyers and pilots.
``In the USA it was like the world opened for me,'' he said.
``When I came back here it was closed, so it was either go back
and become an American, or stay here in New Zealand and kick ass --
I chose the latter.''
His first target, along with other members of the Deaf community
-- ``we have our own identity, and we always spell Deaf with a
capital'' -- was the phone relay service whereby those who can't
normally use the telephone, use phones with text units and screens
attached, to make calls via a specialist call centre.
After eight years and a case with the Human Rights Commission,
victory came when the Government last year announced the
establishment of a service which is expected to be running early
next year.
Captioned movies were next.
``It started in November 2000, when I started campaigning for the
Lord of the Rings to be captioned,'' he said.
``The government was promoting this as a New Zealand thing and it
was a world-wide hit, but we Deaf Kiwis couldn't be part of this
because we couldn't hear it.''
Robinson was back at the Human Rights Commission in 2001, lodging
a complaint that led to a series of meetings with film distributors,
cinema owners, the Deaf Association, the Hearing Association, which
represents the hearing-impaired, and Captioning Access NZ, over the
last four months.
The result was the launch today of captioned movies on a 13-city
circuit throughout New Zealand.
The issue, said Robinson, was one of access.
``Cinemas have always been one of society's very first picture
domains -- the oldest motion media screen around,'' he said.
``Box office releases cannot be rented out on DVD until about
nine months after the release in theatres. They can be purchased
overseas earlier than that for personal use, but this is out of the
range of many people. Fifty-three percent of more than 700,000
people with disabilities earn less than $15,000 a year.''
Rather than make the Deaf and hearing-impaired wait for the best
part of a year before they could see a movie with subtitles on a TV
screen via a DVD, Robinson decided they should be able to see those
movies in proper theatres in a reasonable time frame.
With captioned movies now achieved, albeit on a limited scale of
one movie a month, the next target is television, and he's already
laid a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.
While many captioned programmes are available on the three main
public channels -- TV One, Two and Three -- they are not available
on TV4, Prime, or the Sky channels. Further, those who receive the
public channels via satellite connections cannot access the
subtitles.
Robinson's case is two-fold -- to get a major increase in funding
for captioning, and to see those channels which do not provide
captioning, made to do so.
Those who will benefit are the 220,000-plus New Zealanders who
are Deaf, or whose hearing loss qualifies as a disability.
Beyond that is the longer term goal to see state funding of
political parties, so those who can least afford to flex their
political muscle -- the disabled -- will be able to do so, possibly
through a party of their own.
``By having such funding, people with disabilities will have a
platform to stand on and a voice to use,'' he said.
And beyond that?
``Once the groundwork of access is available in New Zealand, we
can raise the bar into other arenas that were previously taboo for
people with disabilities, such as the ability to serve in the police
force or the military.''
NZPA WGT ctp gs kk
Thursday, October 2 2003 - 01:59 pm Routine
CAPTIONED MOVIES ONE MORE TICK ON THE
LIST
NATIONAL (NZ), RURAL AND WEATHER DEAF
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Chris Peters of NZPA
Wellington, Oct 2 - As captioned movies start screening in
Auckland and Christchurch today, it's another goal ticked off by
Deaf campaigner Kim Robinson.
The lobbyist last year saw the successful end to an eight-year
campaign to force the telecommunications industry to commit to
providing a phone relay service for the Deaf, hearing-impaired and
speech-impaired, and next on his list is television subtitles, with
political funding further down the line.
``It's a question of rights,'' he said this week.
``It is our right to be able to enjoy the same services as anyone
else.''
The genesis of his campaign was a year he spent as an exchange
student in the United States in 1990, where he saw facilities for
the deaf that he had only dreamed of in New Zealand.
Robinson, a community support worker who was deaf by the age of
12, met people with careers unheard of for deaf people in New
Zealand, such as surgeons, lawyers and pilots.
``In the USA it was like the world opened for me,'' he said.
``When I came back here it was closed, so it was either go back
and become an American, or stay here in New Zealand and kick ass --
I chose the latter.''
His first target, along with other members of the Deaf community
-- ``we have our own identity, and we always spell Deaf with a
capital'' -- was the phone relay service whereby those who can't
normally use the telephone, use phones with text units and screens
attached, to make calls via a specialist call centre.
After eight years and a case with the Human Rights Commission,
victory came when the Government last year announced the
establishment of a service which is expected to be running early
next year.
Captioned movies were next.
``It started in November 2000, when I started campaigning for the
Lord of the Rings to be captioned,'' he said.
``The government was promoting this as a New Zealand thing and it
was a world-wide hit, but we Deaf Kiwis couldn't be part of this
because we couldn't hear it.''
Robinson was back at the Human Rights Commission in 2001, lodging
a complaint that led to a series of meetings with film distributors,
cinema owners, the Deaf Association, the Hearing Association, which
represents the hearing-impaired, and Captioning Access NZ, over the
last four months.
The result was the launch today of captioned movies on a 13-city
circuit throughout New Zealand.
The issue, said Robinson, was one of access.
``Cinemas have always been one of society's very first picture
domains -- the oldest motion media screen around,'' he said.
``Box office releases cannot be rented out on DVD until about
nine months after the release in theatres. They can be purchased
overseas earlier than that for personal use, but this is out of the
range of many people. Fifty-three percent of more than 700,000
people with disabilities earn less than $15,000 a year.''
Rather than make the Deaf and hearing-impaired wait for the best
part of a year before they could see a movie with subtitles on a TV
screen via a DVD, Robinson decided they should be able to see those
movies in proper theatres in a reasonable time frame.
With captioned movies now achieved, albeit on a limited scale of
one movie a month, the next target is television, and he's already
laid a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.
While many captioned programmes are available on the three main
public channels -- TV One, Two and Three -- they are not available
on TV4, Prime, or the Sky channels. Further, those who receive the
public channels via satellite connections cannot access the
subtitles.
Robinson's case is two-fold -- to get a major increase in funding
for captioning, and to see those channels which do not provide
captioning, made to do so.
Those who will benefit are the 220,000-plus New Zealanders who
are Deaf, or whose hearing loss qualifies as a disability.
Beyond that is the longer term goal to see state funding of
political parties, so those who can least afford to flex their
political muscle -- the disabled -- will be able to do so, possibly
through a party of their own.
``By having such funding, people with disabilities will have a
platform to stand on and a voice to use,'' he said.
And beyond that?
``Once the groundwork of access is available in New Zealand, we
can raise the bar into other arenas that were previously taboo for
people with disabilities, such as the ability to serve in the police
force or the military.''
NZPA WGT ctp gs kk
ive read both of ur threads and thats GREAT!!!!!!!!!!! u are making progress and keep up the great work!
