Illinois Attorney General Twists AMC's Arm, Makes It Accommodate Disabled Moviegoers

It took pressure from the Illinois Attorney General, but AMC Theatres agreed to make adjustments that allow blind and deaf people to enjoy movies in more of the chain’s theaters in the state. The chain agreed to add captioning and audio-description features to 460 screens. Before the deal, only a couple dozen AMC theaters in Illinois offered the technology.

Crain’s reports Equip for Equality, an agency that advocates for the disabled, brought up the issue that led to the settlement.

The move is not only virtuous — albeit government-pressured virtue — but makes business sense over the long-term. With theaters locked in a struggle to draw paying customers with many other options, they should do all they can to accommodate all the viewers they can. Hopefully any other theaters lacking the technology use this development to get a sense of the way the wind is blowing and get their operations up to par.

Disabled to get access to Illinois movie theaters [Crain’s]

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