Mark Fitzpatrick

‘In the field of disability, where so many real yet soluble problems are still unsolved…’

• Graham Pullin, ‘Design Meets Disability’

Cinemas in Ireland strive for inclusivity yet they continuously present barriers for the deaf and hard of hearing community in Ireland. As someone in the deaf community, out of 263 cinema screenings in one week, I could only access four captioned screenings. This is frankly disgraceful in this day and age.

As all of our ma’s or the nosy next door neighbours once said in our lifetime, ‘c’mere and I’ll tell ye’.

‘SilentScript’ is an inclusive transcribing tool integrated with a wearable sensory feedback device that I designed with the purpose of enhancing the user’s cinematic experience. It provides a live transcription of the sounds without impairing the movie’s view. The empowerment of the deaf and hard of hearing community begins when they take control of their cinematic experience. This is what ‘SilentScript’ sets out to achieve.