Advocacy/Legal
Communication Access in Health Care
"A grassroots program advocating for effective communication in medical settings"
​Find out more HERE
Open Captions at Movie Theaters-
Advocate for yourself and other people with hearing loss!
What are open captions (subtitles, OC)? OC is on-screen text dialogue. OC let people who have hearing loss enjoy movies the same way as hearing people do. One issue with Closed captions (CC) is that these systems require use of equipment.
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There can be a number of issues when using devices to hear or read captions to understand what is happening in a movie. Most CC equipment users prefer open captions.
Citizens across New York State want to require cinemas statewide to offer open captioned movie showtimes. citizens across New York State about why the deaf and hard of hearing.
It's a law in New York City.
It costs cinemas nothing to access OCs. And it will bring more people back to cinemas than the few who dislike OCs.
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Watch the video below, created by the New York State HLAA Association to fully understand the issue.
Note: if you are using Safari as your browser, click on the title of the video or the "Youtube" selection at the bottom of the player,
Find out more out open captioning and sign an Online Petition requiring open captioning in movie theaters in New York State
HERE
MORE WAYS TO TAKE ACTION
New York State Association Taking the lead on Open Captioning in Movie Theaters
"With the strong support of HLAA-NYSA, bills to require open movie captioning have been introduced in the current legislative session in Albany: S2269 (sponsor Hoylman-Sigal) and A4628 (sponsor Seawright). Modeled after successful legislation passed four years ago in New York City, and described in the article above, open captioning has been implemented at no cost to movie theaters and was met by a very positive response from the general community.
Please ask your senator and assembly member to become a co-sponsor of this important legislation. This will help move the bills out of committee and to the floor for passage before the legislature adjourns in June.​