Shows on Broadway in New York now accessible to deaf people thanks to an app

One of the biggest tourist attractions in New York is Broadway. The shows and plays here are a must visit for anyone visiting this city. Now the shows here will soon be accessible to the deaf, thanks to a smartphone app.

GalaPro, an Israeli tech company, has created an app that puts a live closed-captioning system in the pocket of any person attending the theatre who may need it.

All users have to do is download the free app and log onto the theatre’s Wi-Fi network. GalaPro will then automatically sync with the show, and display the play’s lines, and lyrics, onto the phone. To avoid distracting other theatregoers, the words are displayed in red on a black background.

Its already been used once for a show and many people seated next to users did not even realise that it was on.

Before GalaPro, deaf customers could attend only select performances, and had to sit in a specific area near caption monitors. Now every seat and every show is available.

GalaPro has raised US$3 million in funding, and is currently working on audio description services for the blind and translation services for theatre-goers who don’t speak English.

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