This past Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is fitting that also this week, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a settlement with the three largest movie theater chains in the Commonwealth, providing greater accessibility for hearing and visually impaired residents.

With this settlement, these theaters must ensure that every Massachusetts location is equipped with accessible technology, such as captioning technology and description technology. To see the complete settlement details, visit the Attorney General’s Office website.

This settlement is just one among many successful advocacy efforts taken on by Martha since being elected Attorney General. In September 2008, Attorney General Coakley and the National Federation of the Blind reached an agreement with Apple, Inc. , that required Apple to make its iTunes software accessible to blind consumers and students worldwide and to pay $250,000 to Massachusetts to be used to purchase assistive technology for blind students. The Attorney General’s Office also achieved a nationwide settlement with Cardtronics, Inc., the nation’s largest ATM operator, that will provide significantly improved access for blind consumers to the company’s machines.

And in May, Martha was honored with the President Award by the Perkins School for the Blind ,  in recognition of her office’s work to promote accessibility, particularly in technology, for children and adults with sight impairments.

Martha continues to be an advocate for individuals with disabilities, and today’s impressive victory was another step forward in this mission.