Deaf patrons complain movie theatre won’t turn on captions

WARWICK, R.I. – Some deaf and hearing-impaired moviegoers say a Rhode Island theatre refused to switch on the captioning so they could follow along with Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast.”

The Providence Journal reports (http://bit.ly/2phXbLK) 18 hearing-impaired people tried to see the film at the Showcase Cinemas at Warwick Mall on Saturday.

Organizer Tim Riker says the group arrived unannounced and requested theatre employees activate the captioning. But a manager refused, suggesting it wouldn’t be fair to other patrons who had not paid to see a subtitled movie.

The group left without seeing the film.

Riker says the group wants state lawmakers to approve pending legislation requiring certain theatres to accommodate hearing- and sight-impaired customers.

The Warwick theatre is owned by Massachusetts-based National Amusements, which hasn’t commented.

The popular “Beauty and the Beast” has earned $432 million domestically in a month.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com