Please contact cinemas in your area and request that they provide accessible, subtitled shows of popular films, at convenient days and times. Request that the cinema does its best to provide an equal service, to enable its customers with hearing loss to enjoy the cinema experience with family and friends.
Film companies ensure that all popular films are provided to UK cinemas with a subtitle/caption track. All cinemas can screen these films, whenever they choose. (Cinemas prefer to schedule subtitled shows in advance, rather than provide 'on-demand' accessible shows). Most UK cinemas (around 450) provide subtitled shows regularly. Every week there are more than 1,200 shows nationwide.
Film companies also ensure that all popular films contain an audio description/narration track, to enable people with sight loss to enjoy films, via wireless headphones.
Accessible shows provide social benefits such as equality, inclusion and community integration. Here's some feedback from happy customers: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/quote.html
Like ramps, wheelchair spaces, disabled toilets & car park spaces, loop systems, elevators in shops and restaurants, and audio/text information on public transport, subtitles & audio description simply enable customers who need a little assistance to spend money on products and services.
Most subtitled shows are provided at 'quiet' times - during working or school hours. It's very rare for a cinema to provide shows on Fri or Sat evening, the most popular cinema-going periods.
Because the number of people that require subtitles is small (compared to the overall number of cinema-goers), subtitled shows are usually less well-attended than regular, non-subtitled shows. So booking in advance is usually unnecessary.
The UK cinema industry is currently investigating 'personal' subtitle solutions that could replace the limited number of separate, segregated, inconvenient shows with thousands of inclusive shows. In the USA, hundreds of cinemas are equipped with 'subtitle glasses'. In Australia, many are equipped with small, seat-mounted screens. These 'access' features are invisible to the rest of the audience. Only the wearer/user sees the subtitles. In theory, any show can also be a subtitled show, making all shows inclusive - accessible to customers with or without hearing loss. A 'personal' subtitle solution could help increase the weekly number of subtitled shows. From 1,200 to more than 50,000.
Accessible cinema shows benefit people of all ages with hearing or sight loss. Each year around 800 children are born in the UK with significant hearing loss. Around 800,000 people, including 135,000 people of working age and 34,000 children/youths are severely or profoundly deaf. (NDCS figures). Every day another 100 people start to lose their sight (RNIB). Overall it is estimated that almost ten million people in the UK have some level of hearing loss, and about two million have significant sight loss. More than 50,000 of these are children & youths.
Our society is ageing. With ageing, loss of some hearing or sight is inevitable. Access to film via subtitles and audio description is something that we may all appreciate, eventually.
Before 2000, the only way people with severe hearing loss could enjoy cinema was to watch a foreign-language film. And people with sight loss didn't visit cinemas. Nowadays subtitles and audio description enable people with hearing or sight loss to enjoy, rather than endure the cinema experience.
YourLocalCinema.com helps to publicise accessible cinema shows, helping cinemas nationwide build regular, appreciative audiences. The website makes it quick & easy for people with hearing loss to find English-language subtitled shows in their locality:
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/locations.html
Simply bookmark your local area, then visit the website every Thurs/Fri for the latest shows.
IMPORTANT! We receive accessible listings directly from cinemas. Unless urgent amendments are required, listings are updated on this website by Friday. We can take NO RESPONSIBILITY for postponed or cancelled shows. If cinemas inform us of changes we will tell you via this site. If they don't inform us, we can't inform you. Please check with the ACTUAL cinema or cinemas website before you plan a visit. We recommend that you should always request confirmation that a show is definitely on.
Subscribe for free to the weekly email newsletter: subtitles@yourlocalcinema.com
Get twitter updates: http://twitter.com/yourlocalcinema/favorites
Happy customers: http://www.yourlocalcinema.com/quote.html
http://www.yourlocalcinema.com
The UK cinema industry provides cinema access info on its official association website.
RNID/AOHL and NDCS provide information on cinema access here to and here.
2 for 1 cinema card for carers!
If you know someone who needs the assistance of another person when going to the cinema as a result of a disability, please let them know of the national cinema '2 for 1' card scheme. The card entitles the person assisting to free admission. Please visit www.ceacard.co.uk for further info.
YourLocalCinema.com is a multi-award winning, non-profit social enterprise that’s fully supported & sponsored by the UK film industry.
