Cinema Access
Many people who are Deaf, hearing impaired, blind or vision impaired will now be able to participate in a trip to the movies thanks to a new plan funded by the Australian Government.
The Cinema Access Implementation Plan (the Plan) and the establishment of the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group were launched on 17 July.
The Plan will assist Australia’s major cinema chains in converting to a digital based technology to significantly reduce barriers to people with disability.
Under the Plan, the Government has agreed to provide Incentive based grants of up to $470,000 over four years to the four major cinema chains to build technical capacity, fast tracking audio description and captioning. This contribution from the Government amounts to a 21 per cent contribution in a five way partnership with the four major cinemas.
The Government has also agreed to a $30,000 contribution to subsidise the costs of the Accessible Cinema Advisory Group, consisting of industry and disability sector representatives.