Commentary: Time has come for open captions at movies

How often do you go to the movies?

For many people, going to the movies is a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment and escapism. However, millions of Americans have limited access to the joys of the silver screen. Despite the protections offered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, many deaf and hard-of-hearing movie patrons still struggle to access and fully enjoy movie showings.

While some movie theaters offer closed-captioning devices, there are numerous problems with them. First, these devices are limited in number. Suppose a group or a large family of deaf/hard-of-hearing patrons want to watch the same movie.

These devices are often broken, left uncharged or glitchy. For example, patrons may be frustrated when their device, rather than displaying the captions for the movie they are viewing, is showing the dialogue for the movie in the theater next door. They also create an uncomfortable moviegoing experience. Sony’s captioning glasses, for example, are heavy and require the viewer to hold their head in precisely the same position throughout the movie.

Yet, there is a simple solution. Movie showings can offer open captions to create universal accessibility. Open-captioned movies display dialogue and sound description directly on the movie screen for the entire audience to see. They offer a more comfortable and enjoyable movie experience for all viewers — and not just the deaf and hard of hearing.

Open captions benefit everyone, hearing loss or no: Studies show that exposure to captioning for TV shows and movies benefit children, English language learners and individuals with learning disabilities. Many share that open captioning helps them understand dialogue in a scene where there is excessive background noise, when the actors are mumbling/whispering or when the actors have an accent. Having open captioning available to all removes the awkwardness of having to explain, in the dark, to your seat neighbor what “that thing is” and how the closed-captioning device works.

Open captions are a cheaper alternative for theaters than purchasing and maintaining hundreds of individual-use closed-captioning devices and bear less risk of user error. In the age of COVID-19, another benefit of open captioning is that it doesn’t require the touching and sharing of cup holder caption devices or captioning glasses.

Some might argue that open captions are an unwelcome distraction on the big screen and that moviegoers who require the accommodation should stick with the individual-use closed-caption devices offered at the theater.

On the contrary, with the growing popularity of dubbed/captioned foreign films, video games and even the Netflix hit show, “Squid Game,” I would argue that we are ready. Data shows that online video content without captions garners less views than captioned content. We have proven that captions are not the deterrent they’re made out to be and, in fact, are becoming a norm that people expect.

Fortunately, we are making strides on this here in Delaware. I reached out to my state representative, Rep. Ed Osienski, D-Newark, and he has brought together a group of advocates and the National Association of Theatre Owners to discuss this issue. We are working on and hoping to finalize a pilot program that would see theaters throughout Delaware offer regular screenings of first-run movies with open captions. I hope we are able to share details of this program in the coming weeks.

It’s time to continue breaking down barriers and create a more universally accessible moviegoing experience. We need to dispel the notion that individuals with disabilities — and therefore, their needs — are “less than” those able-bodied individuals and their needs or preferences. Open captions benefit everyone.

Daphne Werner is a high school language arts teacher at the Delaware School for the Deaf and an advocate for the deaf and hard of hearing. She lives in Newark with her family.