Advocacy/Legal
From the Home Page:
Open Captions at Movie Theaters
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.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.Watch the video below, created by the New York State HLAA Association to fully understand the issue.
May 17 Update from the Hearing Loss Association of America New York State (HLAA-NYS) Advocacy Committee:
"On Tuesday (5/12) the Senate Consumer Protection Committee voted our OCAP bill (S.9888) along to the Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business Committee. But, that committee is unable to vote it out for a floor vote this week.
Now, our only hope, according to lead sponsor Sen. Nathalia Fernandez’s team, is to obtain "a discharge from Commerce to Rules," so that the Senate can pass S.9888 and the Assembly can pass the companion A4628B before the legislature adjourns on June 4.
Please make two telephone calls NOW:
1) Call Josh Marcil in Albany at 518.455.2585
He is Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins' Legislative Director. The majority leader has the authority to discharge S.9888 to Rules and enable Senate passage. Let Mr. Marcil know we're watching.
If he doesn't pick-up, leave an urgent message on behalf of HLAA NYSA and the state's over one million deaf and hard of hearing people who deserve equal access to movies in cinemas.
There is no opposition to this bill. It's been amended to protect smaller cinemas while requiring the big cinema chains to offer a fair number of open-captioned movie showtimes.
2)Call your Senator's Albany Office to Speak Up Now to Bring S.9888 to the Floor for a Vote--See bottom of the page.
If we don't get action NOW we're left to wait another year to end the discrimination of chain cinemas against New Yorkers who are deaf and hard of hearing."
Call Now!
Communication Access in Health Care
"A grassroots program advocating for effective communication in medical settings"
Find out more HERE
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,
More about 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.