With the announcement of the Federal Government’s Cinema Access Implementation Plan on July 17, this trend looks set to continue. This new strategy seeks to implement guidelines that ensure that every major cinema chain will become more accessible for its hearing- and vision-impaired patrons.

Dan Littlepage, head of Business Development at Red Bee Media Australia explains.

“In January 2009, many film distributors agreed to improve access to DVD releases for the hearing impaired following the development of the AVDSA Accessibility Framework for the Home Entertainment Industry. Since this announcement, Red Media Australia has more than doubled its English-language captioning for films released for cinema and DVD. This agreement is a significant step forward.”

The Cinema Access Implementation Plan aims to see every major cinema chain increase accessibility for its hearing- and vision-impaired patrons by 2014. Red Bee Media sees this as an important step forward, as this legislation is designed to fast-track the installation of state-of-the-art audio description and captioning technology in Australian cinemas. The Deaf and hearing-impaired communities represent a major market segment, comprising over 3.5 million people in Australia, which equates to one sixth of the population.

“There is incredible potential for film producers and distributors to provide greater access to the storytelling experience of film. We hope that the increase in the volume of captioned content resulting from the implementation of these initiatives will encourage the film industry to continue to provide a wider choice for people with a disability and deliver on their access commitments ahead of the 2014 deadline."

Red Bee Media Australia believes greater access to film is both enlightening and culturally empowering and provides the Deaf and hearing impaired communities the opportunity to experience and enjoy the cinematic arts with the same ease as the broader community.