From:	Clarke, Margaret 
Sent:	Friday, 27 November 2009 11:33 AM
To:	disabdis
Subject:	Application for exemption under DDA section 55: Cinema captioning 
and audio description 

Myself and my husband (who is profoundly deaf) wish to strongly object to the above 
exemption.
 
Please do not allow Village Roadshow, Greater Union, Hoyts and Reading Cinemas to 
be exempt from the Disability Discrimination Act.
 
As a community we should be lobbying to obtain more access for people with hearing 
and sight difficulties not less.  What year are we living in 2009 or 1909????  
 
How and when will these organisations understand what people with a disability go 
through everyday???  
 
These cinemas are happy to take the profits they make charging the same entrance 
fee as ablebodied people however make minimal attempt to provide any equality by 
way of captioning / access for people with a disability.
 
Their submission for exemption should be rejected on the grounds that deaf and hard 
of hearing have as much right to enjoy the cinema experience as any other ablebodied 
person.   I suspect that it all comes down to the "profit" factor.
 
Please hold them accountable and reject the exemption.  If your organisation cannot 
be an agent for change what hope do people with a disability or ordinary Australians 
for that matter have of righting this wrong???
 
Thankyou for your time.
 
Margaret Clarke