Author: JOSHUA WALKER

“It expresses an aversion to implanted, stuck-in, and hung-on electronic devices for moving Deaf people closer to the hearing world, away from their culture and community.

​It protests the mindset that deafness is a pathology that technology, science, and​ medicine are obligated to cure.” – http://www.thebrainydeafsite.com/p8.html

#whereistheinterpreter @BorisJohnson A message to you from our #deaf community #wemattertoo #bsl #access #CoronavirusPandemic @Number10press @ASLIuk @UKDeafCouncil @BBCBreakfast @GMB @10DowningStreet pic.twitter.com/5EAxohtanC

— Lynn Stewart-Taylor (@jerseysnail) April 3, 2020

Platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime and now the brand new Disney+ are taking over the world and could be the end for cinema outings. They’re more accessible, there’s so much more on offer than a standard one-off price of a cinema ticket, you don’t have to worry about the kid coughing next to you and you’re not spending £5 on a bag of chocolate you can get for £1 at Tesco. 

But, what does that mean for deaf people? I came across an interesting article by the Guardian that really calls out to the cinema industry and say’s they have no excuse for letting the deaf community down. The way technology is advancing at the rate it is, there is no excuse for the lack of accessibility. But you might say, “there are subtitles?” Yes.. but are they as reliable as they should be? 

I came across some articles that shared feedback from the community on Twitter.. and it was a little worrying about what was being published on our screens!

https://twitter.com/toughtinkart/status/1062501025658089474?s=20

im used to the occasional missed word in subtitles which i usually chock up to human error but the subs for she-ra are just straight up bad and inaccurate @netflix

— 🌻 (@silkquake) November 14, 2018

https://twitter.com/DylanHelgens/status/1063571816982167552?s=20

Another source from Jersey Evening Post admittedly made me laugh. Did he really call the Chief Minister ‘daddy’? ? But what impact does this have for hard of hearing or deaf people? Surely there is no excuse for making sure subtitles are correct and relaying the most accurate information? 

References:

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/may/23/cinemas-deaf-people-subtitled-screenings

When subtitles go wrong: Did he just call the Chief Minister ‘babe’…?