Deaf Activist Calls For Better Movie Theater Captioning Systems Following 'Black Panther' Screening

Nyle DiMarco, a deaf activist, model, and actor, took to social media Sunday to air grievances surrounding movie theater closed captioning accommodations.

DiMarco, who attended a Black Panther showing at an AMC theater, urged his more than 267K followers to retweet if they "prefer open captioning instead of this," attaching a photo of an obstructive device called a "CaptiView."

Guests with hearing and vision impairments are to secure the device in the cup holder of their seat, adjusting the flexible arm of the device to a desired angle. Dialogue is then presented as text during the movie..

Open captioning, unlike closed captioning, does not involve any manipulation or interaction by the viewing audience, according to the Described and Captioned Media Program. Captions are presented on the screen without the need of special equipment or adjustment required by the viewer.

"Theaters are basically for all the able-bodied people," DiMarco wrote in follow-up tweet.

"It is A LOT cheaper to have open captioning because the clunky device costs $1,5000-$3000," he wrote in another. "Spending more $$$ to make people feel even more disabled, I'll never understand that logic."

DiMarco reported the theater gave him two guest re-admit passes in lieu of a refund. "So I guess I'll go and feel disabled again," DiMarco wrote.

Source: comicbook