Hearing Impaired to Have a Better Experience at the Movies Pleasantville, NY – September 10, 2012 – The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) has installed a hearing loop system to serve adults, students and young children with hearing loss in all three theaters at the Film Center as well as in the Screening Room at the Media Arts Lab. The hearing loop works with an individual’s T-coil-equipped hearing instrument or cochlear implant. A hearing loop transmits the audio signal wirelessly to the T-coil allowing the listener to hear the intended signal clearly. Today, all cochlear implants have T-coils and over 70% of hearing instruments have T-coils. Hearing loops make listening in difficult auditory environments effortless. Loop receivers and headphones are also available at the Film Center for individuals who do not have hearing instruments or cochlear implants but suffer hearing loss. The system also enhances the sound during Q&A’s and special events which frequently follow screenings at the Film Center. “This is another exciting step for the JBFC as we continue to remove barriers to accessibility and work to ensure a more enjoyable movie-going experience for our patrons,” said Dominick Balletta, JBFC Managing Director. “We are one of the first public spaces in Westchester County to install the hearing loop and join other notable institutions in New York City including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, American Museum of Natural History and the Bronx Zoo.” Funding was made possible through the generosity of an anonymous donor. Hearing loops are promoted by the Hearing Loss Association of America and the American Academy of Audiology. The Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit cultural arts organization dedicated to: presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world cinema; promoting 21st century literacy, and making film a vibrant part of the community. Located on a 47,500 sq. foot, three-building campus in the center of Pleasantville, the JBFC is just 30 miles outside of New York City. Since the opening in 2001, over 1,000,000 people have seen over 4,500 films from more than 40 countries. The campus includes the 27,000 sq. foot Media Arts Lab, the JBFC’s state-of-the-art education center, a creative and educational community for storytellers in the digital age, offering one-time workshops, intensive courses, and weekend programs for children and adults of all ages. To learn more about the Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab, visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.
