My name is Paul Martin Williams III.  I am a student at Riverside City College.  I am taking ASL 1.  My goal is to become an ASL interpreter for the Deaf community.  I have come across an issue for the Deaf Community that needs to be resolved.  Many people I have met on this journey are deaf or hard of hearing.  The Deaf community deserves better than to be treated as if they are second class citizens.  The movie theaters right here in Riverside (where California School for the Deaf-Riverside is located) and in many other places here in California, are not always compliant with the current ADA laws that apply to closed captioning.  I am very passionate about fixing this injustice for the Deaf Community and providing a better way for EVERYONE to enjoy going to the movies.

     I am proposing that a law be in place so that an open caption system be available at ALL movie theaters, for every movie; so that ALL people can enjoy watching a movie when they choose to attend the theater.   A survey conducted by Audi Accessibility revealed that 75.1% of both people with hearing and without hearing loss, "say they would prefer open captions".  Of the same people surveyed 91.5% "said that open captions do not bother them.  In an article written for 3 Play Media by Sofia Enamorado on February 8, 2019 she states "Captions benefit all individuals, not just deaf and hard of hearing people.  In fact, many Gen Z individuals are opting to watch television with the captions on because it helps them focus and understand the content better".

    Imagine going to a movie at a theater.  The movie you would like to see is only showing in 1 theater or is only showing on a certain day.  The movie reel half way through the movie skips a very important scene.  You would not be very happy with the movie theaters equipment as it is faulty.

     Many people from the Deaf community have experienced problems with the closed captioning equipment provided by the theaters.  Most people experiencing problems say it is due to faulty equipment that is to be maintained by the theater per ADA closed captioning laws.  I recently met with Chris Morton, a motivational speaker with the Deaf Community.  He told me of an incident with a prominent theater here in Riverside.  He went to see a popular movie with his girlfriend.  He was provided a closed captioning device at the beginning of the movie.  This device failed, he was provided a second device that also failed, a third device was provided; however about a minute into watching the movie it turned off. Chris is not the only deaf person this has happened to.  Many deaf people can attest to this happening.

     Can you imagine how frustrating this would be?  You are trying to watch a movie with the only way to be able to know what is being said is unreliable.  The equipment is not being maintained according to the LAW.  This could have been avoided with an open caption system in place during the movie.  

     I know that the theaters are trying to compromise by adding open captioning ONE day a week at ONE certain time a day to ONE certain movie.  I find that effort to be less than satisfactory to solve the issue at hand.  What if you want to see a movie that is not showing in open captioning that one certain day?  What if you work on the day they have for open captioning?  You are doomed to resort to the more than likely faulty closed captioning system.  THIS IS NOT HOW WE SHOULD TREAT OTHER PEOPLE!  Treating people that are deaf as if they are second class citizens is unfair and should be abolished in our nation and across the world. 

      Please help the Deaf Community by signing this petition to get a law in place that will stop discrimination against the Deaf Community in movie theaters.