ALDs and Movies: Missed Opportunities and How to Overcome Them - Part 2

By Steve Barber, Hard of Hearing Consumer and SHHH Member

Part One

Part Three

B. Movie Theater Owners and Operators

Improving the way movie theaters support customers is important. Although most theaters have ALDs, many theaters don't understand what a good business opportunity they're missing. They don't just fail to promote this wonderful service for their customers; they sometimes seem to go out of their way to hide it! Here are some suggestions for movie theater owners and operators:

Turn down the volume. That may sound like the wrong thing to do to help people with hearing loss, but it's the right thing to do. Some movies are so loud that it's uncomfortable. Noise is one of the biggest problems people with hearing loss have. If you don't have hearing loss, it's hard to understand that most people with hearing loss are less tolerant of high volume sounds, and loud sounds often sound distorted to ears that are not working normally.

Put an "ALD" symbol in your newspaper ads. In most cities, your theater ads would stand out if the ads noted "ALDs available." I recommend you use the standard ALD icon of the ear with the slash through it. Your local paper may be willing to write an article about your ALD support, and that too, might bring you additional business.

Display an ALD symbol beside each ticket seller.

Make it convenient to obtain the ALD. People don't want to hold up the line where they're buying tickets. I recommend ALDs be available at a convenient desk in the lobby, not a dusty box in the back room! Of course, make sure the ALDs are in good working order with fresh batteries and make sure the staff knows how to operate them.

Place a poster about available ALDs in the lobby. This is a terrific place to remind your customers you care about them, and you want them want to come back because they hear better in your theater!

Provide a brochure or card with instructions with each ALD. People who haven' t used them before need basic information; how to turn them on, how to adjust the volume, how to confirm they're working, and how to use them with their hearing aids. They need to know where to get help, if there's a problem.

Turn on the transmitters! The receivers won't work unless the transmitter is on - and this has been a common problem. Please broadcast sound in each theater between and before the movie starts, so your customers can confirm their ALD is on, and they can adjust it to a proper level before the movie starts. There 's plenty of time to resolve problems before the movie starts! Between shows, you can broadcast previews, advertisements, or an audio test pattern that only people with an ALD will hear (possibly, spoken information on how to hear best with the ALDs).

Contact your local SHHH group. They may be able to help you with advertising, publicity, training and consumer awareness.

Some people have sophisticated hearing aids and ALDs of their own. For them, having "interface" equipment available is a big plus! For example, "neckloops" are telecoil signal receivers that are much larger than the tiny T-coil with the hearing aid. Often, neckloops can be plugged into hearing aids equipped with T-coils -- for even better reception. Many telecoil compatible hearing aids don't ''hear' telecoil signals well, but those same systems work very well with a neckloop.

Many people have their own FM transmitters used with tiny FM receivers in their hearing aids. If your ALDs have a standard female miniplug on them, users could plug in their most effective user interface; a neckloop, silhouettes, Direct Audio Interface or an FM transmitter.

Make sure you're buying your ALDs and having them installed by someone who knows about hearing loss ... not just about the ADA and not just about audio. If they can't explain how the ALD will serve people with mild losses through severe losses, then you've got the wrong supplier or contractor. Here's a tip to help you know whether they understand: Ask them about neckloops, DAI, and silhouettes. If they say "You don't need those" or "I don't know," look for someone who knows what they're doing!

Encourage patrons to bring their own compatible receivers. As more and more people become sophisticated hearing aid and ALD users, they will be able to bring their own receivers and their most effective user interface and simply use your transmitted signal. You'll make these more sophisticated users happy and you won't need to loan them your ALD receiver.

You might negotiate with your ALD supplier to place a poster in your lobby or an ad in your ALD brochures about the ALD supplier. Perhaps some of them would like to buy their own personal ALDs to use in the theater, with their TV, phones, at meetings, in the car, or in restaurants.

Offer specials to groups likely to have people with hearing loss. Perhaps a discount for "off nights" if they will try your ALDs. Perhaps a "reception" and introduction to your ALD technology. Groups to consider include; senior centers, retirement communities, assisted living homes and hearing loss support groups like SHHH (find local chapters through www.hearingloss.org).

Prepare a PowerPoint presentation about your ALD products and services to help customers hear as well as they can. Offer to give your presentation at those same groups ... such meetings are a good place to offer your discount tickets, or to hand out some tickets as door prizes

Offer a "Hear Better at the Movies" night. Invite people with hearing loss to see a free movie and your presentation about ALDs. Obviously, do this on a night when you wouldn't lose any paying customers. 

Part One