17 cinemas in Shanghai piloted "wheelchair-friendly halls" to bid farewell to the "pain of wheelchairs": sit in the "C seat" and be able to look straight
On the eve of National Disability Day on May 19, Shanghai quietly launched a batch of "wheelchair-friendly halls". Disabled people can follow the prompts to buy movie tickets in "wheelchair-accessible" comfortable viewing areas.
The third Sunday in May every year is the National Disability Day. This year, the Alibaba Charity Disability Assistance Group planned to invite people with disabilities in 50 cities to watch the movie for free. However, during the early communication process, they discovered the "pain of wheelchairs" in the cinema.
Shen Lihui, the person in charge of operations at Taopiaopiao Cinema, said that the cinema environment is opaque to people with disabilities. Since the seats in the cinema are steps up, disabled people in wheelchairs can usually only buy seats in the first row and "look up" to watch. Poor movie experience. What's worse is that sometimes when you buy a ticket and enter the theater, you find that the entrance to the theater is on steps and wheelchairs cannot enter, so you have to refund the ticket.
In many theaters, wheelchairs are arranged in the first row to the side.
So, can people with disabilities have the same "C-position" opportunities to watch movies as ordinary audiences?
After much discussion and research, the Charity Disability Assistance Group discovered that the aisles of some theaters are not in the first row, but in the middle or the last row of the theater, where wheelchairs can reach them smoothly. This kind of theater does not require hardware modifications, and can satisfy the needs of disabled people in wheelchairs to choose seats nearby and watch movies comfortably. If these theaters can be labeled and clearly displayed on the ticket purchase platform, it can provide effective guidance for disabled people to buy tickets.
Therefore, members of Shen Lihui’s team collected cinema halls that met the standards from major cinemas and put the “Wheelchair Friendly Hall” label in a prominent position on the Taopiaopiao ticket purchase page. These cinema halls can allow wheelchairs to pass directly to the aisles in the middle row, and the aisles are large enough. Spacious.
"The aisle in the middle row can look directly at the screen. They can park their wheelchair in the aisle to watch the movie, or move to the theater seats. In this way, friends in wheelchairs no longer need to look up in the first row to watch the movie. Yes." Shen Lihui said.
It is understood that the labeling function of "Wheelchair Friendly Halls" was first piloted in three cities: Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. Currently, more than 60 "Wheelchair Friendly Halls" have been launched, including 17 in Shanghai.
The reporter found on the Taopiao Piao client that the label "Wheelchair Friendly Hall" can be selected within the filter conditions on the ticket purchase page, and the filtered theaters and films will be wheelchair accessible. When choosing a seat, the system will also remind you of the locations directly accessible to wheelchairs to help people with disabilities choose a suitable seat.
"Although I need to use a wheelchair when traveling, I often go to see movies and dramas." An Yun, who lives in Pudong, saw the news about the launch of the "Wheelchair Friendly Hall" online and immediately applied for an experience quota and chose it at Wanda Cinemas She watched the movie "Tonight, Even if This Love Disappears from the World". Seat 11 in row 8 is a prime viewing position in the theater, and she was quite satisfied with the 2-hour viewing effect.
Wanda Cinema has launched a "wheelchair-friendly hall".
She told reporters that the cinema has made preparations for the "wheelchair-friendly hall" in advance. The entire process from ticket purchase to movie watching and leaving the movie can achieve independent access to barrier-free facilities. The theater has a complete and standard barrier-free ramp for easy entry. Although there is no "barrier-free viewing area" specifically designated, the reserved wheelchair spaces do not hinder the passage of other audiences, and the convenience of wheelchairs can be guaranteed even when the theater is full. .
"Many of my friends also love watching movies, but they still face a lot of inconveniences when entering these places." An Yun said that some cinemas have steps at the ticket gates, and some theaters are not wheelchair accessible but have no obvious signs. There are also first rows Problems such as the poor viewing effect when looking up to watch movies have made many people "fear away from watching movies".
Shen Lihui said that in recent years, new cinemas in Shanghai have made great progress in barrier-free environments. For example, some theaters in Wanda Cinemas have specially designed seats for people with disabilities, which are wheelchair accessible and have comfortable viewing positions. An Yun also feels the same way: "Wanda Cinemas has already marked it as barrier-free when purchasing. There are also many theaters in the Paragon Cinema Line that support barrier-free viewing. Some theaters in the Orange Sky Jiahe Cinema Line allow viewing in the last row, and the viewing angles are also good. "Anyun also generously praised Tianshan Cinema's barrier-free facilities, which are very friendly to wheelchair users in terms of ease of access, completeness of facilities, and professionalism of services.
In Anyun's eyes, many cinemas still have room for improvement in the barrier-free viewing experience. "The ramps in the theaters are ready, but the bathrooms have not kept up. Many cinemas do not have separate barrier-free bathrooms. We can only take a long way to go to the mall.”
It is reported that the "Wheelchair Friendly Hall" marking function will be implemented in more cities in the future. At the same time, the Alibaba Charity Disability Assistance Team will also inspect the barrier-free environment of theaters and other entertainment venues, and places that meet the conditions will be gradually promoted.
