A new bill introduced in the Michigan Senate could change the moviegoing experience for thousands of residents who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The legislation, sponsored by Democratic State Senator Stephanie Chang, would require certain movie theaters to offer open captioned screenings when a film is first released.
Under the bill, theaters with eight or more screens, or those that show a movie more than five times in a week, would have to provide at least two open captioned screenings per week for the first three weeks of a movie’s run.
Chang said the goal is to make movie theaters more accessible and inclusive.
“The problem that this is really trying to solve is the fact that right now, sometimes options can be a little bit limited for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, or have some type of condition where it makes it hard or maybe impossible for them to really enjoy a movie in the movie theater,” Chang said. “So we’re trying to provide some greater access.”
Currently, many theaters offer closed captioning devices upon request, but Chang said those devices are often unreliable or inconvenient.
“Sometimes the devices don’t work properly. It’s just an extra sort of burden,” she said. “And we know that there’s actually a lot of people who would prefer to just have the captions on the screen anyway.”
The bill was crafted in collaboration with members of the deaf and hard of hearing community, including Teddy Dorsette III, a native Detroiter who worked closely with Chang on the legislation. Chang said their input helped shape the bill’s language, drawing from similar laws already in place in other states.
“There are several states around the country that already do have a law that requires open captioning for certain movie theaters,” Chang said. “So we believe this is something where we’re going to see a trend across the country.”
If passed, the bill would also establish a complaint process for moviegoers.
People could file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Attorney General if a theater does not comply. If someone believes they were denied access based on being deaf or hard of hearing, Chang said they could also file a complaint with the Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
Chang said open captioning doesn’t just benefit the deaf and hard of hearing community, but also families and individuals who rely on captions for a variety of reasons.
“A lot of different people want to have captions,” she said. “If this law passes, they’ll be able to go watch a movie with some of their family members who maybe have different types of conditions.”
