Movie captions break language, hearing barriers

Advocates for literacy, hearing impaired praise the film series addition

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_3876978,00.html

By Fanny S. Chirinos Caller-Times

June 23, 2005

Friday night movies shown as part of the Bay Jammin' series at Cole Park's amphitheater have taken a turn for the better, local literacy and advocates for the hearing impaired said.
Three weeks ago, the city of Corpus Christi's Special Events Department began showing movies with captions, or words on the screen showing what the characters are saying.

"We're thrilled that the city is now providing these movies so the entire city can benefit," said Toni Padilla, regional specialist for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center in Corpus Christi. "I've received comments from elated clients because they can participate in the summer series like their friends and families."

The captions were made possible by the purchase of a newer-model DVD player a month ago in order to provide the captions. "We're happy to do it," said Chris Kallas, the city's special events supervisor. "We just were unaware of the need."

Approximately 8.8 percent of the U.S. population have some degree of hearing loss, Padilla said, adding the center finds that figure to be true locally. Padilla, a member of the city's Committee for People with Disabilities, proposed the change a month ago by way of the committee.
"It's proven that captions help young children improve their literacy rate," she said.
Martha Meyer, interim director of the Corpus Christi Literacy Council, said the captions also might help non-English speaking people learn and speak the language better.

Attendance at the movies varies depending on the movie and other area events, but numbers are up from last year, Kallas said. "Last summer's movies, particularly the first few, had a few couples in attendance and increased during the season," Kallas said, adding the event is in its second season. "Friday's movie had about 400 to 500 people."