Making Movies More Accessible to People with Vision Loss

Posted June 2nd, 2006

New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer recently announced a series of agreements with several movie chains that will help people with vision loss to enjoy the movies. Under the agreement, the movie theaters will install DVS Theatrical systems to deliver descriptive narration to blind and visually impaired patrons. Descriptive narration describes key visual elements in a movie that are essential to the storyline, such as settings, costumes, facial expressions, or actions, and the narration is delivered through infrared or FM listening systems, allowing the user to hear the descriptions through headsets without disturbing other audience members. Carl R. Augusto, American Foundation for the Blind President & CEO, praised the movie theaters' actions in the Attorney General's press release, saying, "With these companies leading the way, the Foundation hopes all theaters will soon offer more options to their patrons, giving people with vision loss the same access to the social and cultural experience that movies provide." Read more about this agreement in AFB's blog 


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