For the Deaf community, we are starting to see some of the places all over here in the United States who finally been educated and is aware of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing people to the point that they started renovating counties or cities themselves to make sure that they are accessible for everybody equally regardless their backgrounds. For several decades, by now almost everywhere in the United States is now accessible for the people who is wheelchair-bound and for the people who is senior citizens but never make the places to be accessible for the people who is Deaf or Hard of Hearing. Even though Deaf community have been around here for centuries, yet the officials in the counties or cities were aware of the people who is in wheelchair-bounds and senior citizens so they added a section in the Americans with Disabilities Act law that most of the buildings whether it be business, private, public or residential must build an accessible for the people who is in wheelchairs by building ramps along with making it easier for senior citizens to get access to the buildings without having to climb up the stairs. A few decades ago a lot of people looks at them as a disability, respects them and look at them almost equally although I am sure that some of the people who terrorize anyone who is in wheelchair but the major of the people doesn’t. Now as for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing people, even though we have been here for centuries but most of the people weren’t educated well enough to know that being Deaf or Hard of Hearing means that we have some kinds of problem with our hearing in their eyes until somewhere in the year of 1800s. When they starts to knowledge about Deaf and Hard of Hearing, they were quickly to judge us by calling us Deaf and Dumb.
Even back these days, people in wheelchairs or people who had limbs amputee didn’t quickly judge them and still thinks of them equally. Again yes there are some people who judges them and calls them cripples but major of the people showed respect to these people who is in wheelchair or had their limbs amputee.
Now as for us Deaf and Hard of Hearing people were the opposite. It was the major of the people who judged us and calls us Deaf and Dumb. Assuming that where we are Deaf or Hard of Hearing would means that our brains doesn’t work or function properly like the normal people’s brain does. Thankfully we have research that proved them wrong, becoming Deaf or Hard of Hearing doesn’t means that our brains is affected as it only means that the inside of our ears such as eardrums no longer function or barely functions. It took us several decades to educate the people over that, to realize that being Deaf or Hard of Hearing is no different from losing a limb. Many people in the Deaf community including myself looks at being Deaf as a cultural instead of disability because there are some Deaf and Hard of Hearing families that carries the gene in every generations. From great-great parents, great parents, grandparents, parents to the children is Deaf and that is their culture. Calling us Deaf and Dumb weren’t a smart move but at least we are getting to the point that to be out of respect that they only call us Deaf or Hard of Hearing and nothing else including Hearing-Impaired which is offensive for many of us in the Deaf community.
Pike County, Ky is NOT Deaf Friendly
Pike County in the state of Kentucky here in the United States, that is where I resides and have been for all of my life since I was born so I am a Kentuckian but if you ask me if I am proud to be Kentuckian then the answer to that is I am absolutely NOT. I have been through Pike County, Ky myself, from east to west and north to south inside the Pike County of Ky. I know Pike County, Ky like it’s back of my hand since I have been thoroughly the county so that means I have visited several places, almost every buildings and places I have been entered weren’t Deaf Friendly. I am Deaf myself, if you look at my medical record it will tell you that I am hard of hearing but I think that Deaf is the best word to fit everybody who have any kinds of hearing issues whether it be hard of hearing or fully Deaf or whatever. But nonetheless, even though I may be Deaf I expects to be treated as a regular customer or client wherever I visits and expects that they have the accessible ready for the Deaf people. In fact American with Disabilities Act require that they are to be equipped to give Deaf people access equally with other people who is able to hear, that means if I am to go to a restaurant that have some televisions then I expect that they have closed captions turned on. If I am to go to some buildings where they appointed a meeting with me then I expect that they have American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter on-site and ready to interpret for me as I arrive without me having to tell them to get ASL interpreter when they should have the common sense that if they want a meeting with anyone who happens to be Deaf then hire a freaking American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter!
If I become ill, I have no choice but to go to the emergency room then I expect that they have American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter on call and ready for me or any people who is Deaf that ended up in their emergency room at the hospital. If I am in mood for some movies at theaters or cinemas then I expect that they have closed captions ready or have these closed captions glasses ready for the Deaf people. It seems that the Pike County, Ky have no common sense when it comes to Deaf people and isn’t educated enough about the Deaf community or follows American with Disabilities Act (it’s not a bill, a regulation, a policy – it’s a freaking LAW!).
I have advocated against the theaters or cinemas, whichever you calls them lately about adding closed captions or get closed captions glasses which costs about two hundred dollars ($200) or so and they can easily be paid within’ half a day from taking the profits by moviegoers depending on some theaters. Me, my mother and Chad decided to go to a theater a few months ago to watch a movie name Daddy’s Home when we arrived there I of course, asked the manager inside the theater about closed captions or closed captions glasses for that movie. The response I received were offensive, all the response that the manager gave were a chuckles and said no. So afterward that night, I decided to personally email that theater demanding that they do something about making the theater to be accessible for the Deaf people by either informing the distributor for each titles of movies with closed captions in case if they have Deaf moviegoers coming to watch a movie there or buy these closed captions glasses that some other theaters uses for the Deaf people. While doing so, I also gave them the link to refer them to American with Disabilities Act where it is said that they are required to give equal access for the Deaf people which that also means closed captions or closed caption glasses so that they can enjoy watching some movies equally as the people who is able to hear. If they provide audio for the movies for the people to hear then why in the heck can they not provide closed captions as well or closed captions glasses? That is unfair isn’t it?
I received a response from that theater, they told me that they are not required by American with Disabilities Act to do so but said that there is some kinds of works on American with Disabilities Act or some sort where it will require all the theaters to add closed captions or to provide closed captions glasses then they say that they will obey that law but for now they will not do so until then. Of course that upsets me, so I filed a complaint against them and while doing so I also decided to email another theater about 15 or 20 miles away from me with these same questions that I asked the theater here. They gave me the same response that my theater gave me, similar but saying that they are not required to do so and that they will not until the law that clearly says that all the theaters are required to provide closed captions or closed captions glasses for the Deaf moviegoers.
These theaters I am speaking of is Southside Theatre in South Williamson, Ky and the another one I am speaking is River Fill 10 Cinemas in Pikeville, Ky. Not long ago, Southside Theatre renovated by upgrading their screens and their seats. It was a drastic renovation they had done for their theater yet never bothered to add closed captions or gets the closed captions glasses? That doesn’t make sense. Southside Theatre were always known as outdated theaters, even though they may do new movies but their screens were old and their seats looks like a 80s theater seats. But now they have 3D screens, fancier theater seats, renovated the entry and exists. Upgraded their speakers for more loudness and upped their bass but that’s all audio for the hearing people but what about Deaf people? If they had have added closed captions or closed captions glasses then it is a guarantee that I’d be visiting on regular basis because I am heavily into movies and I am sure that goes for the rest of other Deaf people who lives in Pike County, Ky too. I can promise that I am not the only one Deaf person who lives close to Southside Theatre, I am aware of 2 more Deaf people around here but I am sure that there are a few more that I am not aware of as we are often spread out and that theater could be a good place for finding more Deaf people because they could have easily pulls in Deaf people who lives in Pike County, Ky if they knows that Southside Theatre provides closed captions or closed captions glasses but at this moment they don’t.
So Southside Theatre and River Fill 10 Cinemas PAY ATTENTION to American with Disabilities Act more carefully and keep up with the law updates. Catch up with National Association of the Deaf (NAD) who is an organization under government that represents the Deaf community can tell you that you are supposed to already provides equal access to Deaf people by closed captions or closed captions glasses. So stop oppressing us and do the right thing.
Now I am back to emergency room, as I said above that the emergency rooms or any hospitals around here including the one in Pikeville, Ky doesn’t provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters. What is even worse is that they don’t even have video relay interpreting (VRI) at these hospitals and they don’t know what they are. That’s bad.
Bottom line here, you can go to movies and you are provided with audio/sounds. When you need to go to the emergency room, you can hear what the doctor or nurses is telling you so that way you can beware of what is going on with you. When you go to restaurant to order something, let’s say McDonald’s to order Big Mac at the speaker and then drive to the window to grab your foods. Why can’t I do something like that? Why can’t I go to the movies to enjoy with closed captions or closed captions glasses? Why can’t I go order some foods at McDonald’s with a screen with an interpreter waiting to translate what I want to order to the register and then I go pick up my foods at the window like at some Starbucks or some places (which I will show you a video of example). Why can’t I go to the emergency room, not being able to understand what the doctor or nurse is saying about what is going on with me so I can be aware of what’s wrong with me and be prepared for whatever happens next? Pike County, Ky is known for oppressing Deaf people and thinks that they are the superior when they may not be. So stop with that attitude and show us some respect Pike County of Kentucky!
Thank you very much and have a freaking good night. Good night to Audism Pike County of Kentucky. You stinks when it comes to shows some respects and be more accepting when it comes to diversity of the people including Deaf people.
P.S. Feel free to call Southside Theatre and share your opinions of them for not doing the right thing. Their phone number is 606-237-5694 or for River Fill 10 Cinemas 606-432-2957. File complaint against them, telling them to get closed captions for their screens or get closed captions glasses for the Deaf moviegoers in Pike County of Ky or even for any tourists who visits Pike County of Kentucky because Pike County, Ky have been changing lately to start be a tourist city like Pigeon Forge in Tennessee but on smaller scale. If any of you who is Deaf that lives in Pike County of Ky, please leave a comment below so we can do something about that because it must be done for both and all of others too as there is over a million Deaf people in the United States.
Joshua “Joshie” Sullivan.
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