Acknowledgments

We extend our appreciation to several colleagues who

contributed to the production of this report: To Susan Elkins for
her editorial assistance, Mark Mathews for his comments on early
drafts and assistance in data collection, and Paula Whang-Ramos, Tom
Seekins, and Kay Schriner for their help in developing the Concerns
Report Method. We are also grateful to the many citizens with
disabilities across the country who participated in the Concerns
Surveys and shared their insights in local public meetings. Thanks
also to Doug Burleigh, Jean Head, Jay Johnson, June Kailes, Brenda
Premo, and Ted Withan whose insights contributed to this method.
Finally, thanks to the sany local sponsoring organizations whose
wonderful staff and consumers made this summary report possible:

Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI
Association for Retarded Citizens of Greater Lansing, Lansing, MI
Center for Handicapper Affairs, Lansing, MI

Dayle McIntosh Center for the Disabled, Anaheim, CA

Disabled Citizens Alliance for Independence, Viburnum, MO

Governor's Committee on Handicapped Concerns, Oklahoma City, OK
Harvey County Committee for Disabled Persons, Newton, KS
Iowa Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Des Moines, IA
Independence, Inc. Lawrence, KS

Indiana Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Indianapolis IN
Kansas Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Topeka, KS
Montana Independent Living Project, Helena, MT

North Dakota Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bismarck, ND
Options, Interstate Resource Center for Independent Living, East
Grand Folks, MN

Project Aid Resource Center, Inc., Wichita, KS

South Dakota Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Pierre, SD
Summit, Independent Living Center, Missoula, MT

The WHOLEPERSON, Inc. Kansas City, KS & MO

Topeka Independent Living Resource Center, Topeka, KS

Westside Center for Independent Living, Los Angeles, CA

Wyoming Department of Vocational Rehabilitation, Cheyenne, WY

38

Mr. EDWARDS. Our first two witnesses will sit as a panel. First is Mr. Paul A. Roth, representing the National Association of Theatre Owners. Mr. Roth is president of the Roth Cos., Silver Spring, MD, and serves as chairman of the Government Relations Committee of the National Association of Theatre Owners.

I will introduce Mr. Lynch when he makes his statement. Without objection, all of the statements in full will be made part of the record, and we welcome Mr. Roth.

STATEMENT OF PAUL A. ROTH, PRESIDENT, THE ROTH COS., SILVER SPRING, MD, AND CHAIRMAN, GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE OWNERS, NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA

Mr. ROTH. Thank you, sir.

Good afternoon. My name is Paul Roth, and I am president of the Roth Cos. of Silver Spring, MD. I am a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Theatre Owners and chairman of NATO's Government Relations Committee in years gone by. I have previously served as president of the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Many of you are familiar with the connection between the name Roth and the motion picture theater industry. I have been involved in design, construction and operation of motion picture theaters in Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina for almost 40 years. Before me, my father and uncle operated theaters beginning in the twenties. Our company grew from a small theater in a converted store in Harrisonburg, VA, to over 100 screens, and we are proud of that, and proud to be a part of the motion picture industry.

Since the first theater in this country opened in 1902, we have seen an evolution from flickering silent films shown on bed sheets in storefronts to massive, modern, computer-driven, high-tech, multiscreen facilities with 10 or more auditoriums.

There are now over 22,000 screens in this country. Our industry and our art form has had its ups and downs caused by everything from radio to night baseball and videocassettes.

However, one thing has remained constant, that the motion picture theater is the place in the community where everyone goes for affordable entertainment. The young, old, rich and poor and in between escape and enjoy the movies, whether the fond memories of Saturday matinees when we were kids or the memory of a fine motion picture that we saw last weekend, Americans have a love affair with feature films, and the motion picture theaters in which they are best seen and heard.

Attendance continues to grow and this year, over a billion people will enjoy movies in American theaters. Relative to other types of entertainment, movies will remain a bargain. As a theater operator and as a member of the community, I have always tried to make our theaters accessible to everyone.

In recent years, every theater that we built included ramps, special parking, bathrooms, drinking fountains and telephones designed to meet the requirements of disabled persons, wheelchair