From:	Lucie Ramsay 
Sent:	Tuesday, 8 December 2009 1:47 PM
To:	disabdis
Subject:	opposition to Cinema Industry applciaiton re exemption from Disability 
Discrimination Act re captioning

Dear Sir/Madam, 

I wish to register my opposition to the application lodged by the Cinema Industry to apply for an exemption from 
the Disability Discrimination Act in relation to captioning for the next two and a half years.  

The implications if this application is accepted is that deaf and hard of hearing people will lose their right to 
complain about the lack of captioning at any of the 125 cinemas owned by Village, Hoyts, Reading and Greater 
Union Cinemas for the next 2.5 years.  If accepted, captioning will be offered at 35 cinemas just 3 times a week 
(which translates to one movie a week, mostly off peak - just 0.3% of the estimated 40,000 films screened by 
these four major cinemas each week).  

This will have a huge impact on deaf and hard of hearing people, as this places unnecessary limitations on their 
lives in terms of equal access to information and media.  This also has a knock on effect to deaf and hard of 
hearing children in terms of limiting options for development and learning opportunities through the cinematic 
experience.  

To accept an application which prevents deaf and hard of hearing people lodging complaints about the inequality 
of this situation would be both discriminatory, and an infringement of the rights of people with a disability.

The Cinema Industry appears to be looking at ways to decrease its overheads and increase its profits at the 
expense of deaf and heard of hearing people.  This surely cannot be accepted in terms of social justice.  To 
approve this application would send out a dangerous message to corporate companies that morally and ethically 
they are not required to follow the same rules that apply to the general population, and this may lead to the 
further isolation of minority groups from equally accessing the community.  This would be a backward step rather 
than a progressive forward thinking, inclusive approach which should be expected of large, successful corporate 
businesses such as the Cinema Industry.  

Please do not accept or approve this application and send the message that corporate companies have a social 
responsibility to their ALL their customers in terms of equal access.

Regards, 


Lucie Ramsay

Case Manager
Able Australia Deafblind Services
www.ableaustralia.org.au
(03) 98616 270
TTY 9882 6786
(Formerly the Deafblind Association)