Inclusive Cinema Screenings

THE Ministry of Equality, in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Gibraltar and Leisure Cinemas announced on November 4 that Leisure Cinemas will be making available entertainment captioning glasses and headphones to improve the entertainment experience of deaf, hard of hearing, blind or visually impaired audience members.

Specially designed eyewear, coupled with a receiver, will enable deaf and hard of hearing audience members to view closed captioned text in their direct line of sight. The subtitles appear as if they are on the screen. For the blind and visually impaired, assistance headphones provide descriptive audio tracks where a narrator describes what is happening on screen.

In addition, the Ministry of Equality also announced that Leisure Cinemas will be holding sensory-friendly screenings. This will provide a sensory-friendly environment for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These screenings will be presented in a light up, sound down environment.

For children with autism the traditional movie experience can be overwhelming. The loud sounds and the dark can be overpowering and the need to watch the movie in silence can be a challenge for these children. For many families with children with autism, going to the cinema is simply not an option.

Sensory-friendly screenings will allow families with children with autism to enjoy a movie without the worry of disturbing other cinemagoers in the auditorium and allow these families to enjoy the cinema experience.