WHILE a trip to the movies with family and friends can easily be taken for granted, it has only recently been made possible for Colleen Wallace.

The White Rock mum is part of the Far North’s hearing-impaired community set to benefit from new technology being introduced in Cairns cinemas.

Using small portable devices that provide closed captions on a screen, people with hearing difficulties will now be able to
follow movies.

It also means they can now attend normal movie sessions, instead of having to wait for limited closed caption screenings.

Ms Wallace will now be able to join her husband and four children at the movies.

‘‘It’s really important the family can get together, which previously we couldn’t,’’ Ms Wallace said.

The new technology, which received a $470,000 boost from the Federal Government, also includes headphones with audio descriptors for the visually impaired.

Cairns-based Senator Jan McLucas said the Federal Government planned to have the technology at 242 screens across the country by the end of 2014.

‘‘It is fantastic to see deaf people able to get involved in the Aussie tradition of seeing a movie on Boxing Day,’’ she said.

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