British moviegoers with hearing loss will have a chance to see movies early starting in October. A film company called Paramount Pictures UK will show its movies with captions the day before each movie is released. 

More than 1.5 billion people across the globe suffer from hearing loss. About 18 million people in the United Kingdom are deaf or hard of hearing. 

Having trouble hearing makes many daily events a challenge. Imagine not being able to grasp most conversations easily. Watching movies is tricky at a theater. Hearing aids can help. But many need to see the captions to follow along with the story.

It can be tough to ask staff at a movie theater if any movies with captions are playing. Few hearing people know sign language. That’s why Paramount runs deaf awareness training with cinema managers and staff in UK cities. Staff members learn how to sign phrases that help customers get to their theaters, buy popcorn, and find their seats. They learn to spell with their fingers. Then they can convey movie titles.  

One employee came up with a new way to sign “Transformers One” during the training sessions. That’s the first film that deaf people will get to see early. 

Rebecca Mansell is the chief executive of the British Deaf Association. She believes that being able to see movies early is a huge win. “The deaf community always feel that they are the last ones to know, the last ones to watch something,” she says. “And now we're going to be the first. It’s definitely a really exciting moment.”

The Lord loves it when people find new ways to show compassion to those who are often overlooked. “Blessed are the merciful,” Jesus said, “for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7)