Accessible Arts / arts + disability NSW

Accessible Arts NSW, the peak arts and disability organisation across the state, offers its full support to the Cinema Access Implementation Plan put forward this week by the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group (ACAG).  The Group, which includes representatives from the disability sector, was initially proposed by the four main cinema chains to assist them in meeting their requirements to improve access to cinemas for people who are Deaf or have visual impairment.

Sancha Donald, Chief Executive of Accessible Arts NSW, hailed the initiative as a major step for people with disability to access the arts. "This has come about as a result of a well organized community driven national campaign, gaining the support of government and is now being led by industry," said Ms Donald. "All state arts and disability peak bodies encouraged their constituents to provide feedback to the Australian Human Rights Commission, resulting in the highest response received by the Commission on any topic."

In May this year the Australian Human Rights Commission ruled against allowing the cinema chains an exemption from meeting their obligations under section 55 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992.

According to the time frame put forward by ACAG the four cinema chains involved have agreed to provide captioning and audio description at every session in each of the 132 cinema complexes they operate throughout Australia and in multiple screens in the larger complexes.  It is envisaged that 10% of this target will be reached by the end of this year, with a further 30% in 2011 and so forth culminating in access to 242 screens in total, across all complexes, by 2014.

"The planned increase in access to cinemas across Australia will place the film sector as the leading art form in the provision of access," according to Ms Donald, "and it is a broad message to the community that access is, and will continue to be, taken seriously by the Arts sector."

Media contact: Tracylee Arestides, Marketing & Media Coordinator, 02 9251 6499 ext 101  |   0425 208 521  |   marketing@aarts.net.au

Cinemas see the light on access: Make arts accessible (Word, 100KB)