To:	disabdis
Subject:	movie captioning

I have been made aware that the Cinema industry has applied for an exemption from the Disability 
Discrimination act with regards to cinema captioning.  They wish to have the 'right' to not caption films 
for the next 2 1/2 years.  Might I ask - whose 'rights' are more important here?  Those of Deaf and Hard 
of Hearing Australians, who are already marginalised and excluded from so very many things that hearing 
people take for granted, or huge multi-national corporations who wish to avoid one small extra process 
and cost, that of providing captions? 
 
 I find it hard to believe that in this day and age, anyone can seriously consider approving this idea.  
There are very many Australians who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and who rely on captioning when 
watching television or movies.  Television captioning is disgraceful and we are unable to watch a lot of 
shows that are broadcast without captions.  Now the industry expects us to put up with the same 
discriminatory lack of captions in cinemas, and do not want to deal with complaints from the Deaf 
community.  The small number of captioned films available, according to their proposal, is insultingly 
small.  
 
We are Deaf and Hard of Hearing.  That does not mean we are stupid, or that we don't wish to participate 
in activities that hearing people do.  We also vote, pay taxes, and expect that our basic rights will be 
respected.
 
Georgia Rickard
Melbourne