Advocating for a more accessible and inclusive screen industry

As an audience member, film professional and disabled person, I find many improvements can be made within the film exhibition sector.

Regardless of size, any cinema, festival, film club, cinematheque, archive or organisation in the sector can make changes toward becoming more accessible and inclusive.

“Accessible” is not an immutable word. Frameworks, policies and language around accessibility are constantly evolving. There isn’t a one-fits-all accessibility standard. It needs to be assessed to a specific scenario.

The only constant is its goal: not to exclude anyone.

Six adults are seated around a table - three men and three women. One of the women, who has short pink hair is explaining an activity t o the group, who are listening.

Delivering a workshop for the International Confederation of Art Cinemas (CICAE) in Berlin.

The purpose of accessibility is to ensure that persons with disabilities can acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and integrated manner, with substantially equivalent use.

In essence, accessibility aims to ensure the amount of time and effort it takes a person with a disability to use something is as equal as possible to that of someone who does not have a disability, allowing them to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life.

How do we make the film exhibition sector inclusive?

By identifying and removing barriers. What do we mean by this?