MEDIA RELEASE from Arts Access Victoria

This is an Auslan version of the media release. To read English text version please locate it on the Human Rights Commission's website:

www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/exemptions/cinema/notice

English version:

A IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM VERONICA PARDO, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Arts Access Victoria and The Other Film Festival are calling upon individuals and organisations to voice their objection to the recent application made by Village Roadshow, Greater Union, Hoyts and Reading Cinemas requesting exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act for a period of two and a half years.

This means that Australians who are Deaf, hard of hearing, legally blind and vision impaired, including older Australians, stand to lose their right to complain to the Human Rights Commission about the lack of provision of captioning and audio description services at ANY of the 125 cinemas (1182 screens) owned by these four exhibitors.

If the exemption is granted, cinemas will provide captioning and audio description for a minimum of three (3) screenings in 35 cinemas around Australia.

Lets put that into perspective:

Jointly, these exhibitors have 1,182 screens across Australia.
They show approximately 30 movies per screen every week.
Thats a total of 41,370 screenings per week (1182 screens x 5 sessions per day x 7 days)
Of these, only 105 will be captioned and audio described. This is equal to less than 0.3% of all movies screened per week.
At this pace, it will take 1000 years to achieve universal access, that is, access to all screenings in all cinemas.
Arts Access Victoria and The Other Film Festival ask - Is this fair?

A key element of the Rudd Governments National Arts and Disability Strategy is to:

Explore opportunities to enhance accessibility and inclusive practices in the film, television and broadcast industry. This may include programs in Auslan and efforts to increase captioning and audio-description services, particularly for government funded films, and promoting international best practice models which support casting artists with a disability.
(Focus area 4. Strategic development, 9. Film, television and broadcast industry)
www.cmc.gov.au/publications/nationalartsanddisabilitystrategy

Is the cinema exhibitors proposed exemption in the spirit of the goals of our National Strategy?

We dont think so.

If you dont think this is right, you can voice your concern by sending an email or letter to disabdis@humanrights.gov.au by Monday 7 December 2009.

For further information, you can visit the Human Rights Commission website at:
www.humanrights.gov.au/disability_rights/exemptions/cinema/notice

or you can contact ARTS ACCESS VICTORIA at:

Voice 03 9699 8299

Fax 03 9699 8868

TTY 03 9699 7636

Email info@artsaccess.com.au

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Arts Access Victoria
• AAV
• DAN
• Deaf Arts Network
• Media Release
• captioning
• audio description service

[Ornithorhynchus08]

Great to see important information being presented in an accessible format - thank you, and keep up the excellent work. Let's hope that responses to this ridiculous DDA exemption application is an awakening call for organisations of all kinds!

[rhinoz1]

Ross, im so proud of what u have done in this, ur brilliant!!!!!!! lol! ill def email them and il let othas know too. i appreciate what ur doing for people like us. be proud of ur work....