Blind Citizens Australia ramps up cinema access campaign

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Thursday, 25 March 2010 10:17am

Peak blind and vision impaired consumer organisation Blind Citizens Australia (BCA) has turned up the volume on its push to expand the number of cinemas in Australia offering audio description (AD) services. 

In a twofold campaign, BCA members have lodged 6 Disability Discrimination Act complaints with the Australian Human Rights Commission against the four major cinema chains (Hoyts, Village, Greater Union, Birch Carroll & Coyle) for not providing AD services. BCA’s CEO Robyn Gaile said, “There has been an increased demand on cinemas to provide equal access to movies for people who are blind or vision impaired, yet the Australian cinema industry continues to stonewall the blind community.” At present the only cinemas offering AD services are all independent cinemas that were funded via a Federal Department of Ageing grant.

BCA is also relaunching its national postcard campaign, ‘It’s Our Turn Now’.  This is targeting both Arts Minister Garrett and Communications Minister Conroy (his department is coordinating the media access review which includes cinema access). The postcard campaign calls for equal treatment of blind people by providing AD services in cinemas.

For information on independent cinemas showing movies with AD, see the Your Local Cinema website.

 


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Tags: Cinema