06/05/2026
Third Time Uncharmed: Accessibility Is Not Even an Afterthought
Tribeca Film Festival Through Deaf Lenses
MICA Scoop in Association with Deaf Talent® Media
By: Tasia JacobsJune 3, 2026
Today, Tribeca Film Festival kicked off their 25th annual festival! This is my third year attending, and I wish I could say that I am excited to participate this year, but unfortunately, I was until this past Friday.
About three weeks ago, I started getting Press/PR emails inviting me to cover films that will be premiering at the festival, as well as the red carpet events. I was even invited to attend a pre-fest screening for Alicia Keys’ new film, which I was extremely excited about. I was in communication with a public relations representative named Eddie Ward, and knowing how Tribeca has rolled in the past, I just knew I needed to ask the one question that I should not still be asking in 2026.
“Will the theater be providing closed-captioning devices?” To which he responded that he would go check and get back to me. And when he got back to me, he told me the theater didn’t have any and signed off saying he was looking forward to having me at the screening.
Call me whatever you want, but from that email, I instantly knew I was speaking to someone who was much older than me and out of touch with the times. Someone younger would have put two and two together and understood that I was asking because I actually needed the device. But nonetheless, I was thrilled to get this opportunity.
I left work early to get there on time and arrived at the theater early. Upon signing in, I let the workers know that I was Deaf and showed them my ID. They signed me in and asked me to sit in the waiting area until it was showtime! One of the workers even signed “thank you.”
I sat next to an older gentleman who was hunched over his laptop with his glasses at the tip of his nose. I had a feeling he was Eddie but didn’t want to interrupt him to ask, as he seemed pretty zoned in, with his index fingers tapping away at his keyboard.
It was finally time to enter the theater. It was an intimate theater, nice and cozy, with seats that I knew would put me to sleep in no time. I took a seat in the second row and pulled out my phone stand.
Something told me to let the staff know that I would be using the closed-captioning app on my phone so they wouldn’t see my phone on the phone stand and assume I was recording the film—which is considered a big no-no.
The staff member who signed “thank you” said okay. Then I made my way back into the theater and snapped a couple of pictures. The second staff member came into the theater and asked me to step out with him. He assured me I could leave my belongings behind and that it wouldn’t be long.
When we came out of the theater, he directed me to speak with the older man I was sitting next to. I asked him if he was Eddie, and he didn’t answer me at first because he was too busy rubbing his temples, then letting his hand run down his face, and muttering something that sounded like, “I didn’t respond to you?”
I asked him to repeat himself, and I assume one of the staff members told him I was Deaf because he quickly straightened up in his seat and moved his hand off his face, then started speaking in that annoying, annunciated way hearing folks speak when they find out I’m Deaf.
He said, “Did I respond to your email?”
To which I responded, “Yes. If you’re Eddie, I asked if the theater would provide closed-captioning devices, and you said no, so I am fine with just using the app on my phone.”
He asked me what the name of the app was, and I told him it was called Live Captions and that it’s an app built into my phone.
He went through the motions of opening a search engine to type in “Live Captions” and asked me if what he was showing me was the name of the app. It wasn’t, and this went on for about another five minutes before the staff member who signed “thank you” came over and tried to help out.
By now, the film was supposed to have started ten minutes ago.
I demonstrated to Eddie how the app works and even put the app on the signing staff member’s phone. Eddie grew more and more flustered and said, “I have to get this approved. I have to run this by someone before I allow you to watch the film.”
I, along with the staff member, assured him the app didn’t record audio or save anything anywhere.
I came right out and said, “I’m confused. You shouldn’t need permission for me to have accessibility.”
To which Eddie responded with a sarcastic laugh, “Oh, but I do.”
Uh, no you don’t, Eddie.
The experience was extremely upsetting and embarrassing, and I didn’t think it was fair that he was holding the other attendees up because he wanted to act like an aloof, privileged hearing being.
It was now twenty minutes past the time the screening should have started, and Eddie had stormed off somewhere. So I gathered my belongings and left.
I sat in a nearby park and wrote an email to the accessibility department at Tribeca and have yet to get a response.
Friday’s experience set the tone, and the lack of response from the accessibility department told me everything I needed to know.
Tribeca Film Festival had three years to get it together, and yet again, they dropped the ball.
The festival runs from June 3rd to June 14th. Will it get better? Who knows? I’m not expecting it to, but we’ll see.
Anyway, I went to get my badge yesterday and snapped a picture outside of the Spring Street building.
I kind of matched with this year’s theme colors.
Tasia Jacobs Tribeca Canon Joey Deaf Talent Media & Entertainment Consulting
