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AMC Theaters to Offer Weekly Open Caption Showtimes

Exciting news from AMC Theatres, who will now permanently offer some Open Caption showtimes each week. According to its CEO Adam Aron, the showtimes with open captions will be well marked on AMC Theatres’ website and mobile app. These open captions will not only ensure that individuals who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing, but also those for whom English is a second language, to fully enjoy films in the theater.

“This comes from many conversations behind the scenes, and phenomenal advocacy from the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community and disability organizations like RespectAbility,” said deaf film executive Delbert Whetter, who also serves on RespectAbility’s board. “This never would have happened without the public’s tireless and relentless support for open captions screenings. Hopefully this sets a new standard for future theatrical exhibitions that paves the way for a superior, more inclusive and accessible moviegoing experience for everyone.”

More information with details on how this will work will be forthcoming soon, but this is taking place in time for the release of Eternals, in which Lauren Ridloff plays Marvel’s first Deaf superhero.

Meet the Author

Lauren Appelbaum

Lauren Appelbaum is the VP, Communications and Entertainment & News Media, of RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization fighting stigmas and advancing opportunities so all people with disabilities can fully participate in every aspect of community. As an individual with an acquired nonvisible disability – Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy – she works at the intersection of disability, employment, Hollywood and politics. She regularly conducts trainings on the why and how to be more inclusive and accessible for entertainment executives throughout the industry. Appelbaum partners with studios, production companies and writers’ rooms to create equitable and accessible opportunities to increase the number of people with lived disability experience throughout the overall story-telling process. These initiatives increase diverse and authentic representation of disabled people on screen, leading to systemic change in how society views and values people with disabilities. She has consulted on more than 100 TV episodes and films with A&E, Bunim-Murray Productions, NBCUniversal, Netflix, ViacomCBS, and The Walt Disney Company, among others. She represents RespectAbility on the CAA Full Story Initiative Advisory Council, Disney+ Content Advisory Council, MTV Entertainment Group Culture Code and Sundance Institute’s Allied Organization Initiative. She is the author of The Hollywood Disability Inclusion Toolkit and the creator of an innovative Lab Program for entertainment professionals with disabilities working in development, production and post-production. She is a recipient of the 2020 Roddenberry Foundation Impact Award for this Lab. To reach her, email LaurenA@RespectAbility.org.

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