Express View on Disability Access: Everyone in the Movie Theater

Bollywood February 9, 2024

Making movie experiences more easily accessible to people with disabilities is a step in the right direction.There’s more to do

According to estimates by the World Health Organization, approximately 84 million Indians are deaf and 75 million are blind and visually impaired.

Eight years after the landmark law enshrining the right of all persons with disabilities (PwD) to “participate in recreational activities on an equal basis with others,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced on January 8, “Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities.” A draft of the “Guidelines for Standards” was released. “Public release of feature films in theaters for the deaf and visually impaired.” The guidelines, which are inviting stakeholder comments until February 15, ensure that some Indians, who continue to be largely excluded, have access to an experience that most moviegoers take for granted. This is another welcome step towards making this possible. These continue the spirit of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPwD) Act 2016.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization, approximately 84 million Indians are deaf and 75 million are blind and visually impaired. There has been a long-standing desire to make the moviegoing experience more accessible. Thanks to the efforts of organizations like Delhi-based NGO Sakshyam and a few willing collaborators in the industry like actor-producer Aamir Khan, several films in the past few decades, including Dangal and Munnabhai MBBS, is produced, with features such as audio descriptions, subtitles, and closed captions. The draft guidelines require producers to provide two versions of a film for CBFC certification, including one with accessibility features enabled, and requires theaters to may require you to schedule special shows or use special equipment or mobile apps. Such measures will help make accessibility the norm, as is the case in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. In the UK, theaters have seats where visually impaired audience members can connect headphones to listen to audio descriptions of the films being shown.

In December 2022, the Supreme Court established a committee to make courts more disability-friendly and recently released a handbook to combat stereotypes about people with disabilities. Last year, the government made it mandatory for digital products to meet standards set under the RPwD law. Making cinema, one of India’s most beloved art forms, a globally exported cultural product and an important source of soft power, more easily accessible and enjoyable for people with disabilities. Doing so is a further step in the right direction.

Date first uploaded: February 10, 2024, 07:05 IST

(Tag Translation) Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act