Pittsburgh, PA – The National Association of the Deaf and SouthSide Works Cinema are pleased to announce that effective immediately, open captioning will be available upon request for deaf and hard of hearing people at SouthSide Works Cinema. This was made possible through cooperative efforts by the parties after a lawsuit was filed by Kenneth DeHaan, a deaf movie goer who filed an Americans with Disabilities Act lawsuit alleging that denial of captioning access at the Pittsburgh movie theater was discrimination based on disability. The parties initially agreed upon a trial period of open captioning at the theater, and SouthSide Works has agreed to make this open captioning availability permanent.
Kenneth praised SouthSide Works for making changes saying, “In light of equality in this day and age of available accessibility, I am pleased with the progressive outcome ensuring that every paying customer will be able to enjoy the magic of the cinemas together.”
Howard A. Rosenblum, CEO of the National Association of the Deaf which represented Kenneth along with Stein & Vargas, LLP, said, “The NAD applauds SouthSide Works for being willing to show open captioning at any time upon request, and setting an example for the rest of the movie theater industry.”
Anyone who wants to request open captioning of a film should make a request by noon on the day of the requested screening to [email protected].
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The National Association of the Deaf is the nation’s premier civil rights organization of, by, and for, deaf and hard of hearing individuals in the United States.
Stein & Vargas, LLP is a civil rights firm based in Washington, D.C. and committed to the principle that all people have full and equal access to all parts of society.
CONTACTS
- National Association of the Deaf
Lizzie Sorkin / 301-587-1788 / [email protected] - Stein & Vargas, LLP
Mary Vargas / 240-793-3185 / [email protected]