From:	Michael Ryan [michael.ryan@holdsworth.org.au]
Sent:	Friday, 4 December 2009 3:18 PM
To:	disabdis 
Subject:	Provision of captioning and audio description in cinemas

I understand that Village Roadshow, Greater Union, Hoyts and Reading Cinemas are currently 
requesting an exemption from the Disability Discrimination Act for a period of two and a half 
years. 

If accepted by the Australian Human Rights Commission the exemption means that Australians 
who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind and vision impaired will lose their right to complain about the 
lack of provision of captioning and audio description at any of the 125 cinemas (1182 screens) 
owned by these four exhibitors. 

Our service supports social access programs for frail aged and for people with disabilities.  Many 
of our clients have vision and hearing impairments.  Many of them also have poor mobility.  
Many of them are financially disadvantaged.  Most of them struggle to do many of the things that 
able-bodied people don’t think twice about.

The biggest struggle experienced by my community is the constant battle to stand up to 
government, bureaucracy, big business and even to the third sector, in order to be treated with 
the same respect and opportunities for social inclusion that everyone else takes as a god-given 
right.

Help us celebrate difference and not the convenience/profit of the majority.  Reject this request 
for an exemption to the DDA.


Yours faithfully

Michael Ryan
CEO

 
64 Holdsworth Street Woollahra NSW 2025
T: 9302 3600  M: 0438 338 581
E: michael.ryan@holdsworth.org.au
www.holdsworth.org.au