I am just one person, hoping my experiences will illustrate how frustrating it is to see movies advertised as being closed captioned, but having the technology fail when I am sitting in the theatre. There are thousands of movie-goers in Canada who are HOH/deaf/Deaf, all experiencing similar issues. I am just one voice in that crowd, but I'm using that voice to ask Cineplex to please listen and make some changes.

On their website, Cineplex says that it "welcomes all individuals to facilities that are accessible to individuals with disabilities."  It further says that, "Cineplex is proud to offer captioning [via Captiview technology] and assistive listening services for our deaf, deafened and hard of hearing guests ... at select theatres."

Kudos should be given to Cineplex for installing the Captiview captioning system at many Canadian multiplexes. Here in Saskatoon, Cineplex theatres are the only ones that provide any kind of captioning. However, the system is extremely glitchy - and extremely frustrating for movie-goers who are HOH/deaf/Deaf. These movie-goers have reported the same issues to me from Langley, Victoria, Kelowna, and Winnipeg. Often, the system displays a message saying it is ready, but then fails to kick in when the movie starts; or sometimes it stops working in the middle of the movie. This requires leaving the auditorium, and missing part of the movie, to find someone to fix it. If it can't be fixed, I'm sent on my way with a voucher for a free movie.

My experiences recently at Southpaw illustrate this perfectly. Even though I had been avoiding the movies - and the glitchy system - for about the past year, I decided to try again. The first time I went, the messages on my Captiview device said that it was connected and good to go. Captions are rarely provided in the pre-show, so you have to wait for the movie to start before you know if the system will work. When the movie started, nothing was shown on my Captiview device, even though it normally indicates when there is music or other background noises (in addition to dialogue). I waited until I was sure there was dialogue before I left the auditorium for help. It took a few minutes for staff to find someone qualified to help me. She tried - valiantly but unsuccessfully - to fix it.  I was given a free voucher for a future movie and promised that the system would be fixed for the next showing. Perhaps I should have taken her literally because when I tried again eight days later, I just ended up with another voucher to add to my collection.

You can read more about my personal experiences with captioning at the movies in my Huffington Post blog piece.

Every time I go through this process, I am reminded of my inability to participate in activities many Canadians take for granted. I feel belittled, squashed, unimportant. It brings home the idea that I am broken, and that the problem is with me. Although accessibility is often advertised with great fanfare, the reality is that this world is just not as accessible as it appears to be.

Cineplex, please start performing  regular testing and maintenance of the Captiview systems. If the system fails in a particular auditorium, movie listings should be updated, and the "cc" designation removed until the system is fixed. More staff need to be trained on the system. If you truly believe what is written on your website - that you welcome people with disabilities, and that you are proud to offer captioning devices - then you  need to step up and make these more than empty PR statements.