press release from the office of Richard Corbett MEP

13 April 2004

MEP welcomes subtitling revolution in cinemas

The Cinema is being revolutionised for thousands of deaf and hard of hearing and blind and partially sighted people in Yorkshire and Humberside thanks to a UK Film Council grant, following a campaign by groups representing disabled people.

In February 2004, the Film Council announced that seventy-eight cinemas in England will now be able to show subtitled and audio described screenings of the latest blockbuster and specialist films. This is in addition to the twenty-two cinemas that previously had subtitling equipment.

RNID, the largest charity representing the nine million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, welcomes the announcement. This will allow thousands of deaf and hard of hearing people to enjoy the latest mainstream and specialised films.

Richard Corbett MEP, a member of the Disability Intergroup in the European Parliament,  said:

"This announcement will allow thousands of sensory impaired people in Yorkshire and Humberside to enjoy the world of cinema in the same way millions of hearing people do. 780,000 people in the region have a hearing loss. Increased subtitling in cinemas could also greatly benefit many foreign language students learning English in the UK because they can both hear and read film dialogue and so improve their language skills."

Dr John Low, Chief Executive of RNID, said "Deaf and hard of hearing people have been excluded from the enjoyment of cinema since the advent of the talkies back in the 1920s. At a time when service providers are preparing for part III of the Disability Discrimination Act which comes into affect in October 2004, the installation of this equipment greatly expands access and choice for large numbers of deaf and visually impaired people."

The following cinemas will be equipped with subtitling and audio description equipment: Cineworld Bradford; Odeon Grimsby; UCI Huddersfield; UGC Cinema Hull; Lounge Cinema Leeds; Warner Village Cinema Sheffield.

A web-based film information service, www.yourlocalcinema.com, has also been developed to inform those with sensory impairments about films being screened at local cinemas in England.

Notes for editors

For a complete list of which cinemas have received funding for this project, please contact Caroline Nagle Tel: 020 7861 7508 or visit www.ukfilmcouncil.org.uk

The UK Film Council's 'Cinema Access Programme' has been made possible through an allocation of £500,000 from the Arts Council of England.

NOP research, commissioned by RNID, revealed there are one million people in the UK who use TV subtitles whenever possible, and five million people use subtitles frequently.

Audio description for blind and partially sighted people is an additional narration that fits between the existing dialogue and that describes action, body language and facial expression. For further info rmation contact RNIB at www.rnib.org.uk.

RNID is the largest charity representing the 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK. As a membership charity, we aim to achieve a radically better quality of life for deaf and hard of hearing people. We do this in the following ways:

• Campaigning and lobbying to change laws and government policies.
• Challenging negative perceptions around deafness and hearing loss.
• Providing info rmation and raising awareness of deafness, hearing loss and tinnitus.
• Training courses and consultancy on deafness and disability.
• Communication services including sign language interpreters.
• Training of interpreters, lipspeakers and speech-to-text operators.
• Seeking lasting change in education for deaf children and young people.
• Employment programmes to help deaf people into work.
• Care services for deaf and hard of hearing people with additional needs.
• Typetalk, the national telephone relay service for deaf and hard of hearing people.
• Equipment and products for deaf and hard of hearing people.
• Social, medical and technical research.

More information

Contact Toby Wardman, Press & Communications Officer for Richard Corbett MEP

phone 0113 245 8987