Inclusive Cinema
Going to the Movies Barrier-Free

Many visually and hearing-impaired people still shy away from going to the movies. This could soon change. New apps, streaming solutions and data glasses enable them to have an inclusive film experience.

Film without images or sound? For many visually and hearing-impaired people this is the sad reality. But it is about to change, thanks to the latest digital technology. There have long been technical solutions for hearing-impaired moviegoers – induction loops heighten the acoustics for hearing aids – but the digitalization of cinemas has brought with it significant improvements that could benefit the 1.2 million visually-impaired and 200,000 hearing-impaired people in Germany. New technical solutions that are simple to use and as inconspicuous as possible can now meet the needs of many disabled people who refuse going to exclusive special presentations. The innovations also support political efforts to ensure more inclusion in the area of culture. Inclusion means that every one should be able to participate equally in all social processes.

In cinemas, this possibility has moved a step closer. The company Sennheiser also wants to contribute to this progress with its service Cinema Connect. Using a smartphone app in the movie theatre, people with impaired sight or hearing can connect with a wireless network and so access additional audio tracks for audio description (AD) or assistive listening. An AD describes succinctly the major elements of the plot, gestures, facial expressions and setting and is inserted in the dialogue pauses. The production of such an audio description costs about 5,000 euros. Assistive listening devices amplify and transmit the sound directly to the ear via headphones.

The extra audio tracks are transferred per streaming in real time to the user’s smartphone, so that he can experience the film through headphones. For purposes of testing, this technology was installed in May 2014 in the Abaton cinema in Hamburg.

Holistic solution

Cinema Connect is designed not only as a purely technical solution but also as a holistic, inclusive one. For instance, the app also makes it easier for users to search for cinemas and films that provide streaming technology.

The basic version of the app Cinema Connect and the hardware for cinemas is on the market since September 2014. “In 2015 the app will be extended to include additional features, as, for example, a Germany-wide online map on which not only cinemas but also museums, theatres and sports venues are displayed that offer events for people with disabilities”, says company spokesman Stefan Peters.

In regular use already are the free smartphone apps Greta and Starks which were published by the company of the same name. In the cinema, the applications automatically find the correct film by using a digital fingerprint, similar to the music recognition programme Shazam. With the AD app Greta, visually impaired viewers hear through a headphone the film description in one ear and the sound effects and music in the other. The app Starks shows the subtitles of a film synchronously on a smartphone.

“Since February, the two apps have made possible more than 9,000 barrier-free cinema visits, mainly in Germany, but also in Austria and Switzerland”, reports founder of Greta & Starks, Seneit Debese. “We get a lot of positive feedback.”

Film funding with leverage

The apps benefit from a revision in state film promotion. A guideline of the german Film Funding Act now provides that, beginning in May 2013, every film which the Federal Film Board (FFA) supports must have a barrier-free version complete with audio description for the visually impaired and subtitles for the hearing impaired. At the German Federal Film Fund a corresponding regulation has obtained since January 2013. Moreover, since the beginning of this year, cinemas many apply to the FFA for the defrayment of fifty per cent of the costs for installation of barrier-free facilities. A FFA list currently includes forty barrier-free films that have started in cinemas or will start in 2015.

According to Debese, some film distributors now voluntarily provide international films with audio descriptions and subtitles, and make them accessible to disabled people using Greta & Starks. “This is planned even with a few blockbusters”, she says.

Versatile data glasses

Sony’s subtitle glasses have been on the German market since the beginning of 2013. “Closed caption glasses” have a transparent display that can fade in the subtitles of a film. They were developed for hearing-impaired people, but can also be used as a translation aide for films in the original versions. The glasses weigh only eighty-four grams, support up to six languages and can be worn over a pair of normal glasses.

Audio descriptions are employed not only in cinemas but also on DVDs and television. In 2009 the public service stations broadcast about 750 such “audio films”; in 2011 the number was about 1,400. To this growth the German Association for the Blind, which founded the non-profit private limited company German Audio Film (DHG) in 2001, contributed decisively. Since 2002, the DHG has in turn organized the German Audio Film Prize, whose winner is chosen by the public.

So far the resonance on the part of the visually impaired to barrier-free film versions in cinemas has been rather modest. Here, in the view of DHG Managing Director Martina Wiemers, build-up by cinema operators is needed. “There used to be practically no offering for the blind in movie theatres. This means that cinema operators have to communicate the new service to the target group, or else the target group must bring their wishes to the attention of cinemas.”