Several movie theater chains have publicly committed to providing devices that allow the blind to listen to audio descriptions of first run movies in the theater-- this has meant that sighted and blind people (like myself and my husband) can enjoy going to the movies again. But what is happening in actual theaters is a different story. While Regal, Cinemark, and AMC all benefit from the good publicity, it is rarely possible to get the audio description in the theater.

During the last six months, we have visited several different theaters that are part of different chains in three different states and none of them could actually offer a functioning audio description devices for any of the mainstream movies that were advertized by the theater to have audio description available. Nor could any of the managers of the theaters provide any sense at all of when or if the ADB would be fixed. Can you imagine what it's like to drive 75 miles to get to a theater with this service only to find that they don't have it any more than your local theater five miles away? BTW, that local theater is also part of a chain that committed to offering audio description, and does not, despite the claims in their movie listings. No system works perfectly, but since this is just a radio signal being sent out to a walkman, its hard to understand why it can't be maintained.

Please sign to encourage major movie theater chains to do what they have already committed to do-- offer audio description to the blind.

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