FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CR
TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1996 (202) 616-2765
TDD (202) 514-1888
UNITED ARTISTS TO MAKE THEATERS ACCESSIBLE TO MOVIEGOERS WITH
DISABILITIES UNDER AGREEMENT WITH JUSTICE DEPARTMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- United Artists Theatre Circuit, Inc., one
of the nation's largest theater chains, will make its theaters more
accessible to moviegoers with disabilities under an agreement
reached today with the Justice Department and a group of disability
rights advocates.
"Americans with disabilities will now be able to go to the
movies with their families and friends," said Assistant Attorney
General for Civil Rights Deval L. Patrick. "Thanks to United
Artists, we can now tell moviegoers with disabilities, 'access is
coming soon to a theater near you.'"
The Justice Department began investigating United Artists in
1992, after receiving complaints that some of its theaters were not
accessible. Last August, after learning about a private suit
raising similar issues, the Justice Department entered settlement
talks to resolve the matter and today it joined that lawsuit.
The suit, filed by several California residents and the
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund ("DREDF") of Berkeley,
claimed that the Colorado-based company violated the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA), as well as California state law.
It alleged that some of the California theaters had
insufficient seating for moviegoers with mobility impairments or
provided the seating in the back row where they could not sit with
their families. Today's agreement between the parties resolves the
suit.
United Artists owns or operates more than 400 theaters
nationwide, with more than 2,300 screens, that were built before
January 26, 1993.
Under today's agreement, United Artists will begin modifying
theaters, where necessary, and will complete the work by 2001. It
will:
provide a sufficient number of spaces in theaters for
wheelchairs in such a way that moviegoers in wheelchairs will
be able to sit with families and friends;
make sure that at least two spaces in theaters with more than
300 seats are somewhere other than in the back row so that
they have more of a choice of seating locations;
ensure that one percent of all seats in existing theaters have
folding or removable aisle-side armrests for semi-ambulatory
persons or persons who wish to transfer from wheelchairs into
a seat;
make parking areas accessible and provide accessible routes to
an accessible entrance;
make existing restrooms accessible or construct accessible
unisex restrooms and modify concession stands, telephones, and
drinking fountains where necessary;
ensure that theaters constructed in the future will comply
with the law's new construction standards.
United Artists also will modify 22 newly-constructed theaters
that opened after January 26, 1993 to bring them into full
compliance with the ADA's new construction standards. The company
will fix about half the newly-constructed theaters by September 30,
1996 and modify the other theaters by June 30, 1997.
"With this agreement, United Artists has taken the lead in
making access in the entertainment industry a priority," added
Patrick.
Under California law, United Artists will also pay monetary
damages to the plaintiffs who filed the private suit and will set
up a $429,000 fund for moviegoers with disabilities who can show
they encountered physical barriers at California theaters built
after July 1982. California law, unlike the ADA, required theaters
in the state to become accessible more than 14 years ago and
enables persons to seek compensatory damages on their own.
Finally, United Artists will pay $1,000 to each of the four
individuals who filed complaints with the Justice Department under
the ADA.
The ADA, passed in July 1990, prohibits discrimination against
persons with disabilities. Title III of the Act requires public
accommodations that were built prior to January 26, 1993, such as
movie theaters, to remove any physical barriers to access when it
is readily achievable to do so. Buildings constructed later must
be built in compliance with certain guidelines known as the ADA's
Standards for Accessible Design.
United Artists has more than 400 theaters located in the
following states: Arizona (8); Arkansas (6); California (76);
Colorado (26); Connecticut (1); Florida (32); Georgia (19); Idaho
(4); Indiana (2); Kansas (1); Louisiana (21); Maryland (5);
Michigan (11); Minnesota (11); Mississippi (20); Missouri (1);
Nevada (5); New Jersey (10); New Mexico (11); New York (44); North
Carolina (12); Oklahoma (9); Pennsylvania (34); Puerto Rico (3);
South Carolina (8); Texas (37); Virginia (8); Washington (1); West
Virginia (2); Wisconsin (6).
The agreement, filed today in U.S. District Court in San
Francisco, must still be approved by Judge Thelton E. Henderson.
In 1994, Attorney General Janet Reno launched a national
campaign to educate Americans about their rights and obligations
under the ADA. She is committed to reaching out to businesses to
urge voluntary compliance with the law. The campaign, which
includes television and radio public service announcements,
advertises a toll-free ADA information line. The number is 800-
514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).
# # #
96-167 SUMMARY OF UNITED ARTISTS AGREEMENT
Under an agreement reached today between the Justice Department,
several persons with disabilities, the Disability Rights Education
and Defense Fund of Berkeley, California (DREDF), and United
Artists Theatre Circuit, Inc., United Artists will make more than
400 theaters (2,300 screens) accessible. It will:
provide accessible parking as well as accessible routes from
the parking lots to accessible theater entrances;
modify existing restrooms to make them accessible or construct
unisex accessible restrooms;
provide a sufficient number of spaces in theaters for
wheelchairs in such a way that moviegoers in wheelchairs will
be able to sit with family and friends;
ensure that auditoriums with more than 300 seats have some
spaces for wheelchairs in a location other than at the back of
the theater;
make sure that one percent of the seats are aisle seats with
folding or removable aisle-side armrests for moviegoers who
are semi-ambulatory or for those who wish to transfer from a
wheelchair into a fixed seat; and
modify, where necessary, concession stands, water fountains,
and public telephones to make them more accessible.
The agreement resolves a private lawsuit that claimed several
California theaters, constructed after July 1992, were not built in
compliance with California law. The Justice Department later
joined the suit alleging violations of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. As a result, United Artists has also agreed to:
compensate--under California law--the named plaintiffs;
create a fund--under California law--to pay damages to other
persons with mobility impairments who encountered barriers to
access in California theaters built after July 1982 or who
were deterred from attending because of access problems;
pay $1,000 to each of the four individuals who either filed
complaints with the Justice Department or on whose behalf
complaints were filed;
submit periodic progress reports to the Justice Department and
DREDF and permit both parties to inspect the modified
theaters.
ADA REQUIREMENTS FOR MOVIE THEATERS
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), passed on July 26,
1990, prohibits discrimination against individuals with
disabilities. Title III of the Act requires public accommo-dations,
like movie theaters, to be accessible.
Theaters Built Before January 26, 1993
Owners, lessors, or operators of movie theaters that opened
for business before January 26, 1993, must remove physical barriers
to access when it is readily achievable to do so -- when it can be
done without much difficulty or expense -- such as:
providing parking spaces wide enough for wheelchairs users and
accessible routes from parking lots to entrances;
making entrances accessible by, for example, installing ramps
at inaccessible entrances or widening doorways;
setting aside a reasonable number of spaces in auditoriums for
wheelchair users, with fixed seats next to them, so that
wheelchair users can sit with their families or friends;
offering a reasonable number of aisle seats with folding or
removable aisle-side armrests for use by semi-ambulatory
patrons or people wanting to transfer to fixed seats;
making modifications to restrooms or constructing unisex
accessible restrooms when restrooms cannot be modified; and
lowering portions of concession stands, public telephones, and
water fountains for wheelchair users.
Theaters That Opened After January 26, 1993
Private entities that are responsible for designing and
constructing theaters opened after January 26, 1993 must ensure the
these facilities comply with certain architectural guidelines,
known as the ADA's Standards for Accessible Design.
The guidelines set forth specific standards such as: the
number of accessible parking spots required; the manner in which
accessible routes must be designed; the slope of ramps and the
width of doorways; the percentage (1%) of seats that must be aisle
seats with folding or removable aisle-side armrests; the height of
concession stands, pay phones and water fountains, and the number
& location of spaces for wheelchair users that must be provided
depending on the total number of seats in the theater.
For instance, newly-constructed theaters must provide at least
1 space for a wheelchair in theaters with up to 25 seats, 2 spaces
in theaters with up to 50 seats, 4 spaces in theaters with up to
300 seats, and 6 spaces in theaters with up to 600 seats.