Participation in a shared cultural space can depend on whether a person can follow a scene, not simply enter the building. DOJ's cinema rule, published December 2, 2016, addresses captioning and audio description for digital films distributed with those features. This December 3 weekend reflection concerns that publication and the practical obligations it describes, rather than claiming access has already improved. [2016-28644][2014-17863]

The final framework includes devices, notices and employee assistance. When the features are provided, notice and assistance duties apply from January 17, 2017. The ethical value lies in treating communication as part of the service: patrons need to know which showings offer features and have help using them. The rule retains undue-burden and fundamental-alteration defenses and does not require creation of missing film features. [2016-28644][2014-17863]

DOJ's August 2014 proposal contemplated six months for digital compliance and considered four years for analog screens or deferral. The final rule gives auditoriums digital on December 2, 2016 until June 2, 2018 for equipment and access compliance. Later conversions receive the later of December 2, 2018 or six months after complete installation. These are stages of one proceeding, not separate proof of outcomes. [2016-28644][2014-17863]

Exclusively analog auditoriums fall outside the specific requirements, without receiving a general ADA exemption; drive-ins are excluded from the theater definition. Recognizing those boundaries need not diminish the dignity of excluded patrons. It means describing the remedy honestly. Cultural participation is the human stake, while the text supplies a limited mechanism and timetable, not a guarantee that every audience member's needs will be met. [2016-28644][2014-17863]

Source documents

  1. Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations-Movie Theaters; Movie Captioning and Audio Descriptionhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2016-12-02/html/2016-28644.htm
  2. Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations-Movie Theaters; Movie Captioning and Audio Descriptionhttps://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2014-08-01/html/2014-17863.htm