Movie theatre accessible for people with visual and hearing disabilities

Moviegoers with visual and hearing impairments can enjoy the latest flicks at Bones Theatre in Columbia City, which is now equipped with MoPix® technology that provides both movie captions and audio descriptive services.

The MoPix system was funded by the Lakota Chapter of the American Council of the Blind of Indiana, and Bones is the first Indiana movie theater to offer the service. The Lakota Chapter raised about $15,000 to purchase MoPix, available to the estimated 2,600 people with hearing or visual impairments in Whitley County.

“The [MoPix] system creates an inclusive experience,” said Sue L’esperance of the Lakota Chapter. “People with hearing and visual impairments enjoy the same film in the same theater as visitors without disabilities.”

MoPix provides unique, movie-dictation headsets for customers with visual impairments. Headset users can still hear the normal movie sounds and dialogue taking place on the screen, but also enjoy a detailed description of the film’s visual elements, including set design and scenery.

Patrons with hearing impairments are given a reflector that’s positioned on the seat in a way that still allows them to see the screen. An LED display board on the back wall of the room provides movie captions, which are displayed backward on the board so that they show up correctly in the reflectors.

The Lakota Chapter applied for various grants and conducted several fundraisers to make MoPix possible. When they came up short just six months before the deadline to reach their goal in March, the Tri Lakes Lions Club offered help. They hosted a fish and tenderloin fry to support the Lakota Chapter’s efforts, at which visitors were presented with information about the MoPix system and Whitley County’s growing need for such a service. The event garnered an extra $2,250, making MoPix possible after a year of hard work.

Not only did the Lakota Chapter meet its donation goal at the fish and tenderloin fry held in early March, members turned it into a Disability Awareness Month activity. The March 2007 Disability Awareness theme, “Make Room for Everyone,” was incorporated into the fundraising event. Themed posters were displayed at the site, and visitors were given the Power of Words brochure, Braille alphabet cards, blind awareness coloring books and other materials. The Churubusco Lions Club, Espich Printing, League for the Blind and Disabled, Indiana Deaf Association and Northeast Indiana Advocacy Council also helped with the event.

According to L’esperance, a Fort Wayne theater recently approved the installation of MoPix. The system can only be found in a few other locations, including theaters in Chicago, Toledo, Ohio; and Flint, Mich. The system was designed by Boston public television station WGBH, historically a pioneer of captioning and video description services.