How do we ensure that cinema is accessible to people who are d/Deaf or Hard of Hearing?
Following our work on the hugely successful Power in our Hands project, we felt more work was needed to make cinemas more welcoming for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
We recently conducted a national survey to discover what d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences felt about their local cinemas:
- 91% of respondents found the number of screenings accessible to them in their region was inadequate
- Over 97% of our respondents said that with better provisions they would visit the cinema more frequently
About the course
This training course will help you to understand the needs of these audiences and help you think about how your venue can better serve this large section of our population, from access concerns to what to consider when it comes to programming and marketing.
This training is geared towards staff from independent cinemas who wish to build and improve provisions for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences, from senior programmers and marketing managers to duty managers and front of house staff.
The course covers:
- What makes a cinema d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing-friendly
- How to programme for and market to d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences
- Basic British Sign Language signs to help you welcome Deaf patrons
- Understanding different needs of those who experience hearing loss
- How to approach the technical aspects of cinema screenings for d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing people
- Connections you can make with the d/Deaf community to develop this audience
Training venues
The training took place in the following venues:
- Wednesday 8 February at HOME, Manchester (Film Hub North West Central)
- Thursday 16 February at Broadway, Nottingham (Film Hub Central East)
- Tuesday 21 February at Stratford East Picturehouse, London (Film Hub London)
- Friday 24 February at Tyneside, Newcastle (Film Hub North)
- Monday 27 February at Plymouth Arts Centre, Plymouth (Film Hub South West West Midlands)
- Thursday 9 March at Queens Film Theatre, Belfast (Film Hub Northern Ireland)
This course is now closed.
As part of this project, ICO carried out further research with the Deaf community and has created online resources and tutorials for cinemas in how to make venues more accessible.
Supported By:
