As A Child Watching Movies Was A Challenge
Growing up deaf, seeing movies in theaters was always challenging. I would leave the theater with a ton of questions because I would miss a lot of the dialog. It really wasn’t until maybe 5 to 10 years ago that movie theaters offered caption solutions for all their showtimes; usually it’s a little box that attaches to a rod and sits in your cup holder, and you have your own captions. At my local theater, the new shows usually have one open-captioned showtime everyday for maybe a week or two. A far, far cry from my childhood, where I had zero open-captioned shows at the theater. What changed?
Was it DEI? Or the goodness of the movie theaters hearts? Their drive to be more inclusive? There may have been a little bit of that, but what may have changed is that A. the demographics of people still going to the theater may be older and have more hearing disabilities (maybe), and B. adaptive technology became cheap enough for corporations to implement.
Boomers Pave The WAY!
The combination of possibly the largest segment of the population having hearing issues and having the money to continue to see movies in the theater with the progress of technology would make any CEO at least look at the possibility of implementing solutions to grab more of that sweet, sweet green!
As someone who was born with hearing disabilities, I have to say, thank you, boomers!
But really, this is one way technology is shaping people’s lives in positive ways. Now, I have the option of seeing movies on the big screen and being more entertained. It also allows me to see movies with family and friends and be able to engage in the after-movie discussion.
Technology Creating Brighter Futures!
This is one way technology is building bridges by allowing a wider range of the population easier access to mainstream entertainment in shared spaces.
With the rise of YouTube, drones, and everything else, more and more people of all abilities are able to make movies, shows, and training material with subtitles! The progress of technology has made society more egalitarian; it allows people’s inner creative force to shine. No longer is it just the rich who can make a cool video; anyone with a cell phone can create content.
It Is Not ALL Good.
I am aware of the darker side of technology, the privacy concerns, the potential for abuse by advertisers and governments, and the possible destruction of social skills because of video game addiction. These are real concerns.
But we can’t just look at the bad. People can’t only see the lens of life through the negativity of our disabilities. Disability can develop resiliency, foster a drive to succeed, and develop gratitude for life itself. I mean, we all know the drawbacks, and it can be easy to get trapped in a negative spiral, but that doesn’t serve anyone well. Least of all, ourselves.
Humanity Must Make A Choice
Life is hard for everyone. But our attitude can make it harder. That doesn’t mean that sometimes things don’t suck or that there are darker sides to the world that require our attention. The trick, it seems, is to not get trapped in that darkness and to not allow the lows to stay low for too long. It is not easy to do when you are struggling. But have some empathy for yourself, take care of yourself, and just like in the game of golf, the next stroke is what matters now.
The world is changing, society is changing, and who knows where it will all go? But there are good things—wonderful things—happening because of technology that have real positive impacts on people’s lives.
Developing that attitude of gratitude is a real skill that can pay dividends. I am thankful to be alive in a time of great technological progress. Clearly, it is the interplay between the human side and machine side that will take time to configure, and we won’t get everything right, but a lot has gone right so far! What wonders await us?