Guide to Online Film Clubs

As a way to continue to enjoy great film and interact with your community cinema team and audiences during these difficult times, Cinema For All has put together some tips and advice for setting up your own online film club! This is a great opportunity to experiment with your film choices, try out new forms of … More

Guide to Intergenerational Activity

Bring older and younger generations together in your community. Our free guide to intergenerational activity is packed full of key information, inspiring success stories and top tips for your own projects.

Beacon Films Relaxed Cinema Project

Beacon Films Relaxed Cinema project is helping cinemas in the North of England to build their confidence running inclusive film screenings that are accessible for Deaf, Disabled and/or Neurodivergent audiences.

Testing Situations – Blog

Testing Situations was awarded a Wellcome Public Engagement Grant to tour around the UK throughout 2019. Through a range of events – from exhibitions and one off screenings to interactive workshops, live experiments and public discussions – the tour has been drawing on the knowledge of experts and communities and learning how testing can affect people’s lives and society at … More

15 Awesome Movies That Actually Understand Blindness

These fifteen fantastic films that depict people with visual impairment are tear-jerking, thrilling, and even kind of terrifying. The way that movies have depicted disabilities of all sorts ranges from spot-on to downright offensive. Blindness in particular has been a fairly free-game disability to portray in an offensive manner without any repercussions or backlash. But why? The … More

The ICO commissioned this toolkit for (primarily) independent film exhibitors to support their work in making their venues and services more inclusive and accessible for visually impaired people.

Sight Loss in the UK

  • It is estimated that currently, over two million people in the UK live with sight loss that is severe enough to have a significant impact on their daily lives, such as their not being able to drive.
  • Every day, 250 people start to lose their sight in the UK.
  • As we get older we are increasingly likely to experience sight loss, and the UK population is ageing. In addition, sight loss is strongly linked with certain medical conditions as well as lifestyle factors such as diabetes and obesity – the rates of which are both rising.
  • The number of people with sight loss is estimated to rise to 2.7 million by 2030. By 2050, the current figure will double to over four million.

People living with sight loss want to enjoy the same experiences as everyone else. This includes going to the cinema and there is therefore a strong economic argument for film exhibitors to meet this demand, as well as the obvious social and moral imperatives for cultural organisations to aim to serve everyone within their community.

In addition, cinemas have a legal duty to make their services accessible to all people with disabilities, including visually impaired people, under the Equality Act 2010. People with disabilities who feel they have been refused or denied reasonable access to a service have the option to take the service provider to court.

Organisations that are inclusive and welcoming to people with disabilities gain enhanced community reputation and trust. People with disabilities are loyal to organisations which provide a consistently good and inclusive service.

Read the full ICO guide to Developing Visually Impaired Audiences, and check out their web page on Subtitling and audio description for information around screening accessibly to blind and partially-sighted audiences.

Understanding Sight Loss – Bhavini’s story