Hard of Hearing and Going to the Movies: How do you deal with it?

Most theaters do have captioning devices. However, in some places they may not. Quite possibly, those places...mostly smaller theaters...may have never been asked to provide them. Yes, they are required by the Disabilities Act, but that act also says that devices must be requested in advance, and cannot create a hardship to the provider. It's important to let the theater staff know if a device is not working properly. It's hard though, because that can mean walking out of the movie after it has started and you realize it's not working. I've found that few of the previews are captioned, so you don't know until the movie begins. Most important though; theater management needs to know if you have had problems with the equipment they provide. It won't improve otherwise. It's so easy to just sit back and complain without trying to effect positive change. Please be proactive in a nice way. It works.

I have had problems with devices and had spoken up nicely. In fact with the cup holder device- they can tell if it’s working . Ritz theaters in Phila are awesome. They have after my suggestion have down at the beginning to check if the device is working. It will be very hard for small theatres to do it. Costs are very high. I was told how much- yikes
It would be very hard if not enough folks needs them. Before this crazy thing happens; theatres are not filming like they used to. We lost one of the Ritz ones.

went to an ear nose and throat specialist for my losing my hearing and he sent me to a dentist. This ENT doctor should know that Psoriatic arthritis can cause hearing loss. The dentist cannot help me so he says. I have said before and now again; What is wrong with the education of doctors when a layperson such as I knows more than the doctors. I know that I am not a doctor and do not have their schooling and am not smarter then they are. Do they have overload? They need to apply themselves. Perhaps when a patient such as I at 82 years of age presents themselves do they assume "Why bother she will be dead soon?" So what! I will treat myself to a good meal, watch a great movie on the boob tube and continue to spoil myself until the deafness continues and oh, I forgot I cannot read the lines on the screen because of the low vision. I will feel sorry for myself but when all comes to a head do not worry for me as I will be strong and continue to help others as this is the way I go. With love again, Peach

Sorry you going through this- it gets harder because drs today are not how to be humane. Take care and keep the humor - it’s what helps life be okay

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate it. However, the point I was trying to make is that it would be great if all theaters started using captioning on their screens instead of offering devices that usually don't work throughout the length of the film. When I watched the foreign film Parasite with captioning on the screen, I realized that on screen captioning in no way interferes with how the hearing abled are able to enjoy the film. On screen captioning is the solution for the hearing impaired so that we are able to enjoy a movie without having a device that stops in the middle of a film or worse doesn't even work at all. We, hearing impaired do not like having to get up and go to the lobby to get another device and lose out significantly to the thread of the film. The Americans with Disabilities Act is way behind schedule in helping us with hearing impairment.

You would be amazed how often I hear hearing folks do not want captions on the screen. It is bothersome to Them . Open captions at theaters ( broadway style) normal hearing friend would say it’s distracting . If to the side - the deefie - me do not like that because of visibility issues. And when I leave tv captions on after I left the client’s house ( dog/ cat sitter) I get asked how to turn the darn thing off ( only 2 houses were appreciative of finding they have it in my 25 years of business .
The devises are the fair way. Some movie theatre have done captioning on the screen for all for the deaf to enjoy. Rarely now though.

@bookysue's reply to littlegin: Lots of people don't like captions! My husband hates it when I find a channel that offer captions. Lucky for him, Charter only provides captions occasionally on one or two little-used channels that show really old TV series. I've tried using the e-mail contact to ask for captions, but zero response. I've done all the steps to turn captions on, but either they're not available on any channels or one for a few days or weeks, then it disappears. Sometimes a different channel offers captions briefly. Really annoys me when programs I'd like to watch have a credit for the company that has paid to provide captions...when I can't seem to get them. I know that the ADA says all programming should have captions, but Charter/Spectrum seems oblivious.

Not all things make it better for everyone. The ADA ordered sloped curb cuts 30-some years ago. While they're great for those in chairs, they mean that those of us with no normal balance have to avoid the sloped places and find a place with a real curb and a definite step down on really bad days. Of course, we Menierians with a serious case are a tiny percentage of the population, so it's just something to learn to live with. Most days, if I have the damned disease in remission, little things like that aren't a problem. I had a wonderful remission for over 30 years, did VRT daily, and was able to do everything. Now, I'm struggling to regain a remission so that I don't need to creep around, stumbling into all the furniture like a serious drunk!

In US- all tv shows must show captions. I have complained to the FCC a number of times and it has been successful . And sometimes with is the captions settings- have to go down to 2 ( Cations2- 4 and then text settings )

@peach414144 WHAT???? An EN&T doctor sent you to a dentist? I have never heard of this, what does a dentist have to do with hearing loss?
Keep spoiling yourself. I am in my 70s but have to come to realize that if I don't, no one will.
JK

The best answer for helping us understand movies is a hearing loop (induction loop). The equipment is not prohibitively expensive but installation costs usually are. The next best thing is open captions (open captions are on the screen all the time). But there is so much opposition to that from a very vocal hearing population that movie makers, who make huge amounts of money, won't change. They know who pays them. Politicians tend to align their opinions with where their votes come from and that is hard to change. I don't see the influence of big money or the politicians changing anytime soon. So MY first two choices are off the list of likely possibilities.

I find so many closed captions are so poorly done they are almost useless. They are very poorly timed and displayed and contain too many errors. On my local TV news I have use either the audio only or caption only. Both together doesn't work very well for me, but confuse me even more. This issue IS fixable if they'd just do it.

ADA only requires that "reasonable accommodations" are made and the devices they now use are deemed "reasonable" even if they don't work very well for some of us. If movie theaters had hearing loops or open caption movies I'd probably go to movies. But without that I just don't go to movies. Because I have not gone to movies in the last 55 years I have no interest in Netflix or other presentation of movies available now. But I've never tried them. I'm a movie illiterate.