Listening Devices for Moviegoers: Cineplex Odeon Corp....

Listening Devices for Moviegoers: Cineplex Odeon Corp. agreed to offer more listening devices for hard-of-hearing moviegoers in order to settle Justice Department complaints. It is the first formal agreement the department has reached under the Americans With Disabilities Act involving movie theaters and the hard-of-hearing.

“This agreement establishes a model for the industry that we hope others will follow,” said Assistant Atty. Gen. Deval L. Patrick, head of the civil rights division.

The listening systems transmit sound from the theater’s amplifiers through FM radio waves or infrared light. That signal is picked up by receivers on headsets provided by the theater.