Deaf and hearing impaired people will soon have the opportunity to fully enjoy the movie going experience at Celebration! Cinema Theaters throughout Michigan, including the company's multiplex theater on Cinema Way in Benton Harbor.
Celebration! Cinema announced today that all of its locations will soon be equipped with closed captioning devices, descriptive audio and an upgrade to assistive listening. The installations will be done in phases and will be completed by mid-October.
The new Closed Captioning install refers to a small service screen for the deaf and hard of hearing that attaches to the seat cup holder. It is adjusted with a flexible arm to the movie-goer’s viewing angle. All dialogue, in text, is displayed on the screen. The technology helps those who are deaf, hard of hearing, or challenged with comprehension of dialogue that is spoken very quickly. Closed Captions can also help with maintaining concentration, which can provide a better experience for guests with learning disabilities, attention deficits, or autism. In the future, these devices could help those individuals who require translation or non-English captioning.
Joe Sibley is past President of the Michigan Council of the Blind and Visually Impaired. Hde says, “Celebration Cinema was the first in Michigan to offer this technology on a limited basis 10 years ago.” He adds, “Many people with hearing or vision loss have enjoyed going to the movies again.”
Steve VanWagoner is Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations for the theater chain. He says, “We remain committed to continuing to improve services for all of our guests.” He notes, “We’re moving ahead with new, closed captioning and descriptive audio technology, which will enable us to upgrade the quality of our assistive listening at the same time.”
Descriptive Audio (also called Narration) enables blind and visually impaired moviegoers to hear the descriptive narration of the movie through headsets. The descriptions provide narrated information about key visual elements such as actions, settings, and scene changes, making movies more meaningful to people with vision loss.
Sibley says, “This technology is life changing. Those who could not enjoy, or only partially enjoy going to the movies can now fully experience the presentation along with their family and friends.”
The installation upgrades are scheduled to be completed (locations below) around mid-October.
- Benton Harbor: Celebration! Cinema
- Grand Rapids: Celebration! Cinema South, RiverTown Mall, Woodland Mall*
- Lansing: Celebration! Cinema
- Mt. Pleasant: Celebration! Cinema
- Muskegon: Cinema Carousel, Plaza 1&2
- Portage: Celebration! Cinema
- *Celebration! Cinema North and Studio C! locations already have the upgrades.
John D. Loeks owns and operates Celebration! Cinema movie theatres in Grand Rapids, Kentwood, Gaines Township, Grandville, Lansing, Muskegon/ Norton Shores, Okemos, Kalamazoo/ Portage, Benton Harbor/ St. Joseph, and Mt. Pleasant, all in Michigan. Celebration! Cinema is a state-of-the-art shared entertainment experience with first rate amenities at each location. All Celebration! Cinema locations exist to create space Where Story Happens. For more information about Celebration! Cinema visit celebrationcinema.com.
