On relaxed screenings: neurodivergence and sound at the cinema

How loudness and sensitivity to sound and music can affect the cinematic experience for neurodivergent audiences.

We have collated some guides to help you to increase and improve access for disabled, d/Deaf and neurodivergent people in your organisations, whether that be for audiences at the cinema or for employees.

Cinemas across the country currently offer specific accessible screenings, such as subtitled, audio described, BSL interpreted, relaxed environment, autism-friendly, and/or dementia-friendly screenings.

UK events

Your Local Cinema lists many subtitled and audio-described screenings

Accessible Screenings UK also list autism-friendly, subtitled and audio-described screenings

downloads

Dementia-friendly screenings: A Guide for Cinemas Autism Friendly Screenings: A guide for cinemas * Oska Bright Film Festival at Opening our Doors - Welcoming learning disabled audiences.pdf * d/Deaf HOH national and regional organisations.xlsx * 888 Film Club at Opening our Doors - For Your Eyes Only.pdf National and regional disability, arts and film organisations

Resources

The BFI FAN: Access Directory

BFI FAN: EDI in Focus - Advocacy Skills for Accessible Screenings

Oska Bright: Welcoming Learning Disabled Audiences Back

And What Next? Demanding Change | THE CINEMA OF IDEAS

Using Film to Tell Disabled Stories | THE CINEMA OF IDEAS

Unlimited: Accessible Recruitment and Employment

Crip Club

Crip Cinema Archive

The Space: Digital Accessibility: Best Practice

Unlimited: Accessible Marketing Guide

Unlimited: Cards for Inclusion

The Bigger Picture Case Study: Universal Accessibility for Schools Screenings

ICO: Where to Begin with Relaxed Screenings

The Hollywood Reporter: A Recent History of the Academy’s Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Efforts

What might a more inclusive film programming world look like?

Caption This: the subtitling champions working to make festivals, screenings and global cinema more accessible

Being Disabled In Britain - A Journey Less Equal

Centering Disabled Arts and Audiences

Planning and Access for Disabled people: A Good Practice Guide

UKCA's CEA Card

Using A Range Of Communication Channels To Reach Disabled People

Accessibility in cinemas: Are cinemas playing fair?

Access Guide - Ensuring your venues and events are open to all

Film + TV Charity: A Guide to Ramadan for the film, TV, cinema and stage industry

By Film + TV Charity & UK Muslim Film

Ramadan is one of the most spiritual times of the year for the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims. Together with UK Muslim Film, Film and TV Charity have put together this handy guide, so you can know how to support your colleagues and friends during the month.

ICO: Where to Begin with Relaxed Screenings

By Rosemary Richings, independentcinemaoffice.org.uk

Everyone deserves access to life-changing cinema, but for those with learning disabilities or neurological conditions, cinema environments can often be inaccessible. In this blog, Rosemary Richings draws on personal experience to discuss the value of relaxed screenings, and speaks to Jonathan Gleneadie (Barbican, London) and Robert Barham (Hyde Park Picture House, Leeds) about the sorts of practical considerations exhibitors should keep … More

The Bigger Picture Case Study: Universal Accessibility for Schools Screenings

By The Bigger Picture https://www.the-bigger-picture.com/

In March 2022 film education charity Into Film partnered with UK cinemas to hold 99 free schools screenings for both primary and secondary pupils on the theme of ‘We Can Be Heroes’. For the first time, exhibitors were asked to screen every film with closed caption Hard of Hearing subtitles. Driven by the principle of … More

Unlimited: Cards for Inclusion

By Unlimited https://weareunlimited.org.uk/

Cards for Inclusion is a card game helping the arts sector by creatively exploring how barriers can be removed. Challenge yourself to think outside the box about how we can all make what we offer more accessible to disabled people.

Unlimited: Accessible Marketing Guide

By Unlimited https://weareunlimited.org.uk/

The Accessible Marketing Guide, contains an introduction to accessibility, the basics of making marketing material accessible, accessible websites, print and text, accessible formats, making social media accessible and a list of useful references that informed the guide as well as further resources.

Unlimited: Accessible Recruitment and Employment

By Unlimited https://weareunlimited.org.uk/

Unlimited have gathered together their top tips to help arts organisations make their recruitment and employment more accessible.

Oska Bright: Welcoming Learning Disabled Audiences Back

By Oska Bright and Tull Stories

Oska Bright Film Festival, the world’s leading festival for films made by or featuring people with learning disabilities or autism, has issued Welcoming Learning Disabled Audiences Back, a free resource for the cinema sector as part of its wider Welcome Back support programme.

The Space: Digital Accessibility: Best Practice

By The Space thespace.org

In early 2023 The Space convened an Accessibility Working Group with activists, artists and industry professionals who are all committed to improving digital access to the arts.

Tag: cinema

UK events

Resources