Teen leads push to make subtitles mandatory in NY movie theaters: ‘Accessibility is a right'
As if senior prom, finals and college applications aren't enough, a Queens teenager is taking on the New York legislature this spring.
Sarah Lin, a senior at Bronx Science who has made headlines crusading to make the movies more friendly for the hearing impaired, is continuing her fight in Albany by pushing for a proposed bill that would make it mandatory for movie theaters across the country to provide closed captioning at more screenings.
She has become the face of the movement and the brain behind its social media push, giving the cause typically focused on the elderly community a much-needed facelift.
With only two weeks left of the legislative session, Lin has been working in overdrive.
'I've definitely been very busy with school, but I think you always end up finding a way to make time for what you're passionate about,' Lin, 18, of Kew Gardens, told The Post.
'Knowing that I'm able to make such real, impactful change and seeing the actual reactions and the responses from the deaf and hard of hearing community has pushed me to want to continue working on this and continue trying to pass this bill statewide.'
The Open Captioning Accessibility Act would require indoor movie theaters across the state with more than 10 shows per week to provide subtitles for at least half of their peak showtimes.
The rule has been in effect in New York City since 2021 and is relatively easy to achieve because playing films with subtitles comes at no extra cost for the already struggling theaters, Lin explained.
Despite this, the bill has been crawling through the state legislature since it was first introduced in April, a delay that advocates blame on the tense budget negotiations that kept politicians from their lengthy list of proposed bills.
The bill has already died in two prior sessions — but advocates didn't have Lin on their side back then.
The Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) scooped up the teenager after learning about her foundation Theater's Unsilenced, with works to provide subtitles glasses and sound-amplifying devices to theaters across Queens — a feat that landed her last year's Girl Scouts Woman of Distinction award.
'It was refreshing to come across a young woman like Sarah,' said Jerry Bergman, 79, chair of HLAA's Advocacy Committee and lifelong movie buff who began losing his own hearing as he entered his 60s.
'We're an organization, non-profit mostly of retired people … People who've gradually lost their hearing as they approached retirement,' he continued, adding that suffering through a film without accessibility features like subtitles is 'not the way to see a movie.'
This time around, the Assembly bill has 13 sponsors and cosponsors, while its Senate counterpart has seven — a show of support Bergman attributed to the teen.
Since joining the group, Lin has used her platform — and social media savviness — to reach wider audiences and encourage her followers to press their local politicians to publicly support the bill.
She also starred in videos for the HLAA, including one that featured deaf Walking Dead actress Lauren Ridloff.
'I'm reaching out to many different people and using my platform in order to show how accessibility is a right and not just a privilege and making that known to everyone in the New York area,' Lin said.
The cause hits especially close to home for Lin, whose own hard-of-hearing mother has had to sit home and miss out on plenty of family movie nights over the years.
Joining forces with political players marks a major escalation in the volunteer work Lin has already been working toward for years — during the pandemic, she and her sisters, Katie and Julie, spearheaded Deaf and Hard of Hearing Friendly, a project that provided face masks with a clear vinyl covering so that community members could continue to communicate via lip-reading while staying safe from the coronavirus.
During her time as a Girl Scout, Lin raised money through the annual cookie sales to buy dry erase messaging boards, which she then doled out to cinemas across Queens, including the same hometown cinema her mom had previously given up on visiting.
'She is so excited, and she's so thankful that I've been able to have this opportunity to be a part of this incredible mission,' Lin said.
'And if this could actually happen, I'd be so proud to be part of this mission. And that means that she's a part of it too.'
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Kidney doctor's shooting comes as questions emerge about dialysis centers
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