Volume 12, No. 2, Spring 2004 |
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For Many, AT Brings Enjoyment Back to the Theatres
Eden Melmed, AT Specialist, New Castle County ATRC
If you or someone you know no longer goes to the theatre because of sensory difficulties, there are products you should know about.
Need help hearing?
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are amplification systems designed to help people hear better in a variety of difficult listening situations, such as in a theatre or a large classroom. ALDs do this by increasing the volume of the desired sound without increasing the loudness of background noises. ALDs are available, free of charge, at many theatres.
The difference between an ALD and a hearing aid
A hearing aid and an ALD differ from each other based on the location of each device's microphone. In a hearing aid, the microphone is incorporated with both the amplifier and the loudspeaker in one component, which is placed in the user's ear. With an ALD, the microphone is a separate component, which is placed at the source of the sound, rather than in the user's ear, thus helping to reduce the background noise.
At the movies
Many theatres use an infrared amplification system to help those with hearing difficulties enjoy the movies. Infrared systems work by transmitting sounds via invisible light beams to the receiver, worn by the user. Since the receiver must be within the direct line of sight of the light beam from the transmitter, the sound will not "spill over" to the next room. This makes it ideal for simultaneous use in adjacent theatres.
The following is a list of some local theatres that provide ALDs for patrons who are hard of hearing:
Movie Theatres
- Cinemark Movies 10
First State Plaza, Newport, (302) 994-7075
- Regal Brandywine 16
US 202/Naamans Road, Brandywine, (302) 479-0750
- Regal Peoples Plaza 17
Route 896, Glasgow, (302) 834-8510
- Movies at Midway
Route 1, Rehoboth, (302) 645-0200
Performing Arts Theatres
- Chapel Street Players
Newark, (302) 368-2248
- Delaware Theatre Company
200 Water St, Wilmington, (302) 594-1100
The Delaware Theatre Company offers American Sign Language interpreted performances for selected productions, on certain dates. Large-print programs are available upon request.
- DuPont Theatre
Hotel du Pont, Rodney Square, Wilmington, (302) 656-4401
The DuPont Theatre offers large print programs upon request.
- The Grand Opera House
818 North Market St, Wilmington, (302) 652-5577
The Grand Opera House offers large print programs upon request.
- Second Street Players
Riverfront Theater, 2 South Walnut St., Milford, (302) 422-0220
Would closed captioning or audio description help you?
WGBH, Boston's public broadcaster, has developed a Motion Picture Access (MoPix) System which uses closed captioning and descriptive narrative formats to improve movie accessibility for persons who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired. More and more first run movies are now being produced with these assistive features.
MoPix has two components:
- Rear Window ® Captioning (RWC) provides closed captioning for only those audience members who wish to use the service. The captions are not on the film, but are on a separate CD which is run in synchronization with the film. The system displays reversed captions on a light-emitting diode (LED) text display which is mounted in the rear of a theatre. A patron wishing to see the captions attaches a transparent acrylic panel to his/her seat to reflect the captions so that they appear superimposed on or beneath the movie screen. The reflective panels are portable and adjustable, enabling the caption user to sit anywhere in the theatre.
- Descriptive Video Service Theatrical ® (DVS) provides descriptive narration to anyone wearing a special receiver and headset. Descriptive narration is a way of making visual media more meaningful to persons with vision loss. The narrated descriptions provide information about key visual elements such as actions, settings, facial expressions, costumes, and scene changes. The descriptions are inserted into pauses in the soundtrack and do not interfere with the movie's dialogue.
While there are a few theatres in New Jersey, Maryland, and the Philadelphia-area that have the MoPix System, MoPix has not been installed in any Delaware theatres…yet. To see a complete listing of available movies and theatres that employ the MoPix System, visit www.mopix.org. If you would like to see MoPix in Delaware, contact your local cinema or one of the trade organizations listed below.
National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO)
www.natoonline.org
nato@mindspring.com
(202) 962-0054
Motion Picture Association of America
www.mpaa.org
(818) 995-6600
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For Many, AT Brings Enjoyment Back to the Theatres