Accessible Cinema for Blind Audiences
BFI FAN EDI In Focus
Charlie Little (she/they)
Access Consultant, Deaf and Disabled Audiences
Film Curator
matchboxcine.com
Clare Baines (she/her)
BFI Inclusion Partner
Filmmaker
Crip Club
thecripclub.co.uk
Session Agenda
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Glossary + Inclusive Language
Sight loss awareness
320,000 people are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK
Nearly 80 per cent are 65 or older, and around 60 per cent are 75+
93% of registered blind and partially sighted people can see something – this could be light perception, shadows, shapes. There are a vast spectrum of sight loss conditions and experiences
The social and disability justice models
The social model of disability is a framework that says people are disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairment or health condition. Barriers can be physical or societal. The social model supports us to recognise and deconstruct these barriers, enabling independence, choice and control.
The Disability Justice model is an intersectional social justice framework which examines disability and ableism in relation to other forms of oppression
What is audio description and how can exhibitors facilitate this?
Frozen Audio Described Trailer - YouTube
Audio description (AD) is an additional, audio commentary track that explains visual information on a screen. It would describe body language, facial expressions and movements, locations, and other important visual cues. This commentary is organically integrated with the film’s soundtrack and dialogue, and it is usually delivered through headsets
Steps to make your communications more accessible
A large, empty cinema screening room with the lights on. The camera is facing a blank, but white and lit cinema screen, and there are numerous rows of red cinema seats from the back of the room towards the screen.
What makes a space more accessible for blind audiences?
Programming blind stories
Blind Date (dir. Clare Baines)
Anti-ableist actions you can take
Discussion
Photographer: Ocean Teal