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AMC Theaters settles discrimination lawsuit in Arizona; Harkins continues to fight
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In order to settle a lawsuit filed by Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard, AMC MultiCinema Inc. has agreed to increase the number of theaters fitted with digital captioning and descriptive video services. This makes their theaters more accessible to hearing and vision impaired customers.
The lawsuit, filed two years ago, claimed the theater chain was unfairly discriminating against disabled patrons. Under the new agreement, AMC will offer closed captioning and descriptive video services in 16 theaters in Phoenix and three in Tucson.
The Phoenix-based Harkins chain of movie theaters won a similar lawsuit filed by the Attorney General's Office. The state is appealing that ruling. U.S. District Court Judge Roslyn Silver said, quoting from a 2000 federal appellate-court case, "The unvarnished and sober truth is that in many, if not most, cases, the disabled simply will not have the capacity or the ability to enjoy the goods and services of an establishment 'fully' and 'equally' compared to the nondisabled."
In other words, the honorable Roslyn Silver seems to feel that a deaf child in Arizona can't enjoy a close captioned movie. That will be news to millions of hearing impaired people who use close captioning on their televisions every day. I'm guessing they had no idea they were not enjoying the movie "fully" and "equally" compared to their hearing friends. The same implies for vision impaired children using descriptive video services.
This kind of bias to my mind is the most dangerous kind of discrimination. It perpetuates the idea that our special needs kids aren't quite as good as everybody else. People like Silver think accessibility is just about ramps and bathroom stalls.
Accessibility benefits more than just the disabled community. Many people find close captioning beneficial as they get older even if their hearing tests normal. People pushing typical kids in strollers appreciate accessibility features put in for wheelchairs.
As consumers and parents, you have power to let these companies know how you feel. Vote with your wallet. Personally, I don't set foot in Harkins theaters. If they don't want the business of the disabled, then they can do without my business as well.
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