Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced agreements requiring three New York City theatres to provide assistive listening devices to persons with hearing loss. The agreements reached with the Manhattan Theatre Club, the Atlantic Theater Company and the School of Visual Arts Theatre ensure that the companies will provide equal access to persons with hearing loss, as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
“New Yorkers, and tourists from across the country, come to New York City to enjoy unparalleled theatre performances. They deserve equal treatment and equal access, as the law requires,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “These agreements help ensure that all of our theatres – from off-Broadway venues to the biggest theaters in Times Square – are complying with the law, and that theatergoers with hearing loss have full and equal enjoyment of the show.”
Tens of millions of people across the country experience some degree of hearing loss, the most commonly reported disability in the United States. In New York City, one in six adults reports experiencing hearing loss or other hearing problems. The ADA requires that theatres make available assistive listening systems with headsets or neckloops, which transmit sound to most hearing aids and cochlear implants -- to ensure that individuals with hearing loss have full and equal enjoyment of their facilities. The Attorney General's Office opened an investigation after receiving complaints from individuals and disability rights organizations that off-Broadway theatres did not provide assistive listening devices necessary to ensure that the hard of hearing have full access to theatrical performances. During its investigation, the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau found that these three theatres failed to provide assistive listening devices or sufficient numbers of assistive listening devices, as required by the ADA.
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Article Credit: Long Island News & PRs
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