-13 larger firms with greater resources. Businesses are, after all, economic institutions by their nature. Small firms who have hired persons with disabilities have found in most cases that the extra effort makes good economic sense. I have no doubt that, faced with the demands of the marketplace, many other small firms will soon learn the same lesson. 0361T STATEMENT OF MALCOLM C. GREEN, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE OWNERS GOOD MORNING. MAY 10, 1989 MY NAME IS MALCOLM GREEN. I AM FROM BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS AND I AM CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THEATRE OWNERS IN THE WORLD AND REPRESENT OVER I HAVE BEEN IN THE MOTION PICTURE THEATRE BUSINESS SINCE 1946 AND MOST RECENTLY SERVED AS TREASURER OF CINEMA CENTERS, INC. CINEMA CENTERS OPERATES 111 SCREENS IN THE NEW ENGLAND STATES AND IN NEW YORK STATE. NATO HAS PREPARED A WRITTEN STATEMENT WHICH I AM SUBMITTING FOR THE RECORD AND I WOULD LIKE TO EXTEND OUR REMARKS TO PROVIDE THE MEMBERS OF THIS COMMITTEE WITH SOME OF MY EXPERIENCES IN OPERATING MOTION PICTURE THEATRES FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS. LAST YEAR MORE THAN ONE BILLION AMERICANS WENT TO THE MOVIES. WE AT NATO ARE VERY PROUD OF THIS FACT. SEEKING MY COMPANY, CINEMA CENTERS, INC., IS CONSTANTLY FEEDBACK FROM OUR CUSTOMERS. WE WANT TO KNOW WHETHER THEY LIKED THE MOVIE THAT THEY SAW. WE WANT TO KNOW IF THE THEATRE WAS COMFORTABLE; IF IT WAS CLEAN; IF THE PATRON HAD ANY COMPLAINTS. - 2 TO BETTER SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS, WE DEVELOPED A SYSTEM USING COMMENT CARDS. PATRONS WERE ASKED TO COMPLETE THESE CARDS AND MAIL THEM BACK TO US. EACH RESPONSE WAS CAREFULLY SCRUTINIZED. IN RECENT YEARS, ALL OF OUR THEATRES WERE CONSTRUCTED TO PROVIDE WHEELCHAIR ACCESS FOR DISABLED PERSONS. WE HAVE NEVER TO MY KNOWLEDGE RECEIVED A COMPLAINT FROM A DISABLED PERSON THAT OUR THEATRES WERE INACCESSIBLE OR INHOSPITABLE TO THEIR NEEDS. IN MASSACHUSETTS, TEN THEATRES TOTALLING 53 8CREENS, COMPLETED AN INDUSTRY SURVEY ON ATTENDANCE BY PATRONS WITH CRUTCHES, WALKERS AND WHEELCHAIRS DURING MARCH 1989. DURING THIS TIME PERIOD, AVERAGE ATTENDANCE FOR ALL THEATRES WAS 65,807 PER WEEK. OF THIS NUMBER 114 WERE PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDING 38 WHEELCHAIR PERSONS, 48 WITH CRUTCHES AND 28 WITH WALKERS. DISABLED PERSONS APROXIMATED LESS THAN 2/10 OF 1% OF TOTAL PATRONS DURING THIS TIME PERIOD. AS AN INDIVIDUAL AND AS CHAIRMAN OF NATO, I SUPPORT LEGISLATION GUARANTEEING DISABLED PERSONS ACCESS TO PUBLIC FACILITIES AND ACCESS TO JOBS. AT THE SAME TIME, ONE MUST BE REASONABLE. IN A THEATRE, WHEELCHAIR PATRONS MUST BE SEATED EITHER IN THE FRONT OR BACK OF THE THEATRE. TO SEAT A WHEELCHAIR PATRON IN THE MIDDLE OF THE THEATRE WOULD CREATE OBVIOUS SAFETY PROBLEMS IN THE EVENT THAT THERE WAS A NEED TO EMPTY THE THEATRE QUICKLY. STATE FIRE MARSHALS HAVE CONSTANTLY TAKEN THE POSITION THAT WHEELCHAIR PATRONS SHOULD BE SEATED EITHER IN THE FRONT OR THE BACK OF THE THEATRE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO AN EXIT. MOTION PICTURE THEATRE STAFFS ARE TRAINED IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY - 3 TO QUICKLY ASSIST DISABLED INDIVIDUALS. THIS TASK WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE IF SUCH INDIVIDUALS WERE SEATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AUDITORIUM. ALTHOUGH ALL THE THEATRES THAT WE BUILT IN THE LAST 15 OR 20 YEARS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO DISABLED PEOPLE, I NOTE THAT CERTAIN INNER CITY THEATRES BUILT MANY YEARS AGO MAY NOT HAVE SUCH MEANS OF ACCESS. SOME OF THESE THEATRES ARE IN DEPRESSED INNER CITY AREAS AND ARE STRUGGLING TO STAY OPEN. THEY ARE OF MARGINAL PROFITABILITY BUT SERVE AS A FOCAL POINT FOR ENTERTAINMENT IN ANY NEW LEGISLATION ENACTED SHOULD RECOGNIZE THEIR COMMUNITIES. THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO INVEST THE CAPITAL NECESSARY TO BRING SUCH FACILITIES INTO COMPLIANCE WITH A LAW REQUIRING TOTAL ACCESS FOR THE DISABLED. SUCH FACILITIES MUST BE EXEMPT UNLESS AND UNTIL THEY ARE TOTALLY RENOVATED. SIMILARLY, ELIMINATION OF JOB DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF DISABILITY IS A CONCEPT THAT MUST BE SUPPORTED, BUT WITHIN REASON. IN A MOTION PICTURE THEATRE SETTING, CERTAIN TYPES OF DISABLED INDIVIDUALS COULD OBVIOUSLY WORK IN CERTAIN JOBS. OTHER DISABLED INDIVIDUALS COULD NOT. THE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS OF EXISTING THEATRES WOULD PROHIBIT UTILIZING WHEELCHAIR PERSONS FROM OPERATING PROJECTORS. PROJECTION BOOTHS ARE USUALLY LOCATED ABOVE AUDITORIUMS IN RELATIVELY LIMITED SPACE. THEY REQUIRE PROJECTOR OPERATORS MUST LIFT HEAVY PLATTERS OF FILM WHICH AGAIN WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR PERSONS WITH A CERTAIN TYPE OF HANDICAP. RECENTLY A CALIFORNIA COMMISSION SPECIFICALLY EXEMPTED THIS JOB CLASSIFICATION FROM THE REQUIREMENT OF THE CALIFORNIA ANTIDISCRIMINATION STATUTE. WHILE I DON'T WANT TO APPEAR NEGATIVE, I MUST URGE THE COMMITTEE TO RECOMMEND LEGISLATION THAT IS REASONABLE IN SCOPE AND DOES NOT PLACE UNREASONABLE OR UNDUE BURDENS ON EMPLOYERS. I THANK YOU FOR INVITING US TO TESTIFY THIS MORNING AND I WILL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. |