Submitted by Pickford Film Center
Starting immediately, open-captioned versions of theatrical releases playing at Pickford Film Center (PFC) will be showing every Tuesday afternoon for the enjoyment of patrons and members who are deaf or hard of hearing. So far, open-captioned versions of Birdman, The Homesman, Top Five, and The Imitation Game have been shown and enjoyed by many.
Pickford Film Center also currently offers a selection of headphone devices that enhance sound for those who are hard of hearing. After soliciting input from Whatcom County’s Deaf community, PFC plans to have additional resources that will soon become available. PFC Operations Manager, Ryan Uhlhorn, is working with the cinema’s long-time master technician to source suppliers and make PFC’s equipment compatible with the newest accessibility apparatus available. There are two products that will be offered: Closed Caption Receivers, which are gooseneck (cupholder-mounted) boxes that receive captions via infrared energy, and Closed Caption Headset Receivers, which operate as glasses and reflect captions on the lenses. Both of these products have the potential to greatly increase accessibility at the Pickford and will be in place by Spring 2015.
“PFC welcomes input from potential users regarding accessibility” says Executive Director, Susie Purves. “User experience is of the utmost importance when considering new equipment. We are eager to accommodate everyone who wants to see our theatrical releases at every screening as well as to better serve our community. Right now we hope people enjoy the Tuesday shows.”
