Three national movie theater chains, American Multi-Cinema, Inc., Regal Entertainment Group, and Norwood-based National Amusements, Inc., today agreed to better equip their theaters with technology to for the hearing and visually impaired residents of Massachusetts, according to a press release from the attorney general’s office.
“Twenty years ago, this country signaled its unwavering commitment to the rights of people with disabilities, and today we take another step forward to improve access for all of our residents,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a press release today. “Movies are a significant part of our social and cultural fabric and these settlements help ensure that the hearing and visually impaired have meaningful access to them and may enjoy them alongside friends and family members.”
Under the terms of the settlement, each chain must ensure that every location in the state is equipped with accessible technology that will provide meaningful access to the hearing and visually impaired, including captioning technology and description technology, according to the press release.
The settlements announced today provide the greatest level of access for the hearing and visually impaired anywhere in the country, according to the press release. Specifically, the agreements ensure that all of the theaters’ locations will have at least one accessible auditorium.
Below are highlights of the settlements:
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New accessibility equipment required for existing theaters: Within 90 days, the three chains will begin installing new accessibility equipment to ensure that all of their locations have at least one accessible auditorium.
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Multiple accessible auditoriums for large locations (10+ screens): Theater locations with 10 or more screens are required to have at least two accessible auditoriums, one of which will be in the locations’ largest auditorium. This ensures that hearing and visually impaired patrons do not have to wait for blockbuster films to make their way to the smaller auditoriums that have historically been equipped with accessibility equipment.
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Additional equipment for central locations: A third captioning and descriptive video system at the AMC-Lowes Boston Common 19, because of its centrality and convenience to public transportation, and an additional descriptive video system for the blind at AMC Harvard Square 5 and Regal Fenway 13 because of their proximity to the Perkins School for the Blind.
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Newly constructed or acquired theaters: The theater chains agree to install accessibility equipment in any theater built or acquired in Massachusetts going forward.
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Free movie tickets for the visually and hearing impaired: The theater chains agree to provide over 200 free movie passes to the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing to distribute to hearing and visually impaired residents.
- Community awareness events: AMC and National Amusements each agree to sponsor two community awareness events to promote the introduction of this new accessibility equipment to the disabled community.
