Many movie theaters have no room for wheelchair
Photo: Jupiter
Most cinemas not wheelchair accessible
Hundreds of thousands of disabled Israelis find it impossible to go to the movies as 65% of theaters lack wheelchair access, comfortable view of screen
They want to enjoy a good movie at the cinema like everyone else, but for hundreds of thousands of disabled Israelis such an experience is often impossible.
According to a new report released by the Access Israel association, people with disabilities cannot enter many of Israel's cinemas. In other they sit uncomfortably, and in some they can't even buy a ticket.
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The survey, conducted ahead of Disability Awareness Day, included 228 movie theaters across Israel.
According to regulations, every cinema built after 2008 must be fully accessible to disabled people. Theaters built earlier must improve their accessibility by 2015.
The report reveals that 65% of cinemas are not accessible for disabled people due to lack of wheelchair accessibility, disabled toilet facilities or room for a wheelchair.
In 58% of movie theaters, a person in a wheelchair will be seated at the front row with poor view of the screen. The same person won't be able to enter 7% of cinemas at all due to many stairs.
In addition, 25% of ticket booths don’t offer captioning system for heard-of hearing customers, and the rest are not accessible as they are too high for people in wheelchairs.
According to the association's chairman, Yuval Wagner, "Hundreds of thousands of citizens are finding it difficult to enjoy a night out at the cinema. We call on theater owners to make them accessible. We want movie theaters to be convenient for everyone."
