I love going to the movies.  Adventure flicks, foreign films, love stories, you name it.  I’ve never met a movie I couldn’t enjoy in some fashion, either by admiring the sets, the costumes, the beauty of the actors or the ridiculousness of it all.  I love the movies.  Even on the first day of spring, you can talk me into going to the movies.

But, once my hearing deteriorated to the point I couldn’t follow the dialogue anymore, I stopped going.   I started renting movies instead, going as far as popping corn, getting the big drink, turning off the cellphone and the whole thing.  I turn on the captioning and do my best.   But….it isn’t the same.

Because of the American’s with Disabilities Act, most movie houses have some sort of system that helps the hearing impaired.  The theatres I have used in the past offer head phones that pipe the sound track right into my ears.  But, the head phones are kinda gross and sometimes they don’t work well.   And, sometimes the clerk doesn’t get the whole hearing impaired part of the request and mumbles through the whole interaction.  Thanks for trying, Regal Cinemas, but you aren’t quite cutting it.

A reasonable solution is to buy my own headset.   Guess what?  There is no standard system used in movie theatres, let alone in other public venues like the theatre.    In fact, the choices entertainment houses have in supporting their ADA requirement is dizzying.

So, what’s a movie lover to do?  Here’s what I did: 

• I called the local theatre I frequent the most and asked them what device they use.  I found it on the internet and bought it for $37.  I asked my health insurance company to cover it, the request is pending.
• I wrote Fandango and told them that it would be super cool if they included device information in their theatre listings, so I could know before I go.  Their website has a little ear icon beside movie theatres that have assisted listening available.  Why not give us the details?  Why not let us sort by that device type?  We like choices!
• I wrote the CEO, the Marketing VP and the Investor Relations people of all the major movies houses a letter asking them to put attention on this matter.  I asked them to make the system information of their devices available on their websites.  I asked them to add some sort of system if they don’t currently have one.  I asked them to understand that providing closed or open captioning on a few screens a week does not cover the needs of the hard of hearing population.   (This was just a form letter I sent to every email address I could find, but it made me feel better!)

I’m eagerly awaitng the arrival of my headset.  I’ll let you know how it all turns out.

See you at the movies!