For ordinary citizens, going to the cinema to watch a movie is a common thing. What they care about is the artistic taste and star cast of the film. But for people with disabilities and the elderly in wheelchairs, going out to watch movies has become a luxury. They worry about whether they can enter smoothly and where they will sit in the theater.
"The needs of disabled people as equal members of society should be 'visible'." Jin Jing, Hong Chengdong and other Municipal People's Congress representatives believe that Shanghai should increase the construction of barrier-free environments for cinemas and theaters.
Currently, do major cinemas and theaters in Shanghai have wheelchair seats? Can disabled people and the elderly in wheelchairs watch a movie independently? Jiefang Daily·Shangguan News reporters and National People's Congress representatives conducted an on-the-spot investigation.
steps and aisles have become a "stumbling block"
Ms. Liu, who has a disability in her right leg, has only been to the cinema once in more than ten years. "Two big volunteers carried me to the cinema, and after watching the movie, they carried me back to the wheelchair. At that time, I felt It’s uncomfortable and brings trouble to others.”
In the interview, almost all people in wheelchairs expressed their desire to go out and watch movies, but most people have never seen a movie in a cinema. The biggest reason that stops them is the fear of “going to the cinema.” Don’t go”.
"The steps and stairs at the entrance of the theater will become a 'stumbling block' for people in wheelchairs to watch movies." Hong Chengdong said.
reporters noticed that many cinemas are located on the top floors of business buildings and shopping malls. Generally speaking, people in wheelchairs can take the vertical elevator of the shopping mall to enter the cinema floor. However, if there are steps at the entrance of a large shopping mall, or if there are steps at the entrance of an independent cinema located on the roadside, it will cause inconvenience to people in wheelchairs, which is also their first entry point for watching movies.
reporters visited and found that barrier-free ramps are a major "shortcoming" of older theaters. However, newly built cinemas and theaters in recent years have included "barrier-free ramps" in their new construction standards.
Shanghai Cinemas, located at the intersection of Xinhua Road and Panyu Road, was renovated and returned in May last year. The whole building is not only full of technology, but also full of human touch - there is a striking white railing barrier-free ramp at the entrance of the Cinema Plaza for wheelchair users. Passage. "Wheelchair-bound Dachengzi" once watched a movie at Shanghai Cinemas and liked this ramp in her live video.
There is a barrier-free ramp at the entrance of Hongqiao Art Center.
Hongqiao Art Center is located on Tianshan Road. It was transformed from the original Tianshan Cinema. There is a circle of three steps at the entrance of the cinema hall. The reporter saw on the left side of the cinema that a seven-eight-meter-long ramp was built at the entrance. Wheelchair push-in. After entering the cinema hall, there is only a wooden staircase winding up. The staff said that if you are in a wheelchair, you can take the elevator to the viewing hall.
The Shanghai Cultural Plaza located on Fuxing Middle Road has a barrier-free passage. The auditorium on the first floor of the theater has a barrier-free seating area. Audiences in wheelchairs can be escorted by staff from the outside of the square directly to the inner hall of the theater. It is worth mentioning that there are barrier-free parking spaces in the garage and on the ground of the Cultural Plaza, and parking fees are reduced or exempted for a limited time in accordance with relevant regulations.
The road leading to the concert hall is full of stairs.
The "stumbling blocks" are not just at the entrance. Every link from the gate to the movie theater is a test for people in wheelchairs. If the aisle is too narrow, or there are steps or road signs in the middle, they may be stopped at any time and need to ask for help from others to pass. At the Shanghai Symphony Concert Hall on Fuxing Middle Road, the reporter noticed that although the entrance is flat and has no steps, the section leading to the concert hall is only accessible by escalators, making it inconvenient for wheelchair users to enter the hall.
"Head-up viewing" needs to be improved
When entering the movie theater, are there special seats for people in wheelchairs? The reporter visited and found that most theaters provide aisle or front row seats for wheelchair parking, but the proportion of theaters with dedicated wheelchair seats is not high. For example, the Yihai Theater on Jiangning Road has barrier-free passages and barrier-free toilets, but there are no dedicated barrier-free seats. The staff told reporters that they could help push the wheelchair into the theater.When watching a movie, wheelchairs can park in the aisles on both sides of the seats, or the staff can assist them in going to specific seats.
The Da Guangming Cinema on Nanjing East Road has a history of nearly a century. Hall 1 can accommodate 1,300 seats. Although there are no dedicated wheelchair seats in the entire hall, the reporter noticed that the middle aisle from rows 11 to 12 is spacious enough. The staff told reporters that if wheelchair users need it, the staff will help them enter the lobby seats and provide wheelchair storage services. A reporter from
visited and found that there are also many theaters where wheelchairs cannot be pushed in because the front rows and aisles are too narrow. In many movie theaters, the seats are all up the stairs, and you will be in the first row as soon as you enter the door. After people in wheelchairs store their wheelchairs, many can only sit in the first row to watch the movie in order to avoid "walking" upwards. "The first row is close to the screen. I have to keep my head raised. My neck is very sore and my eyes are very swollen." Ms. Fang, a wheelchair audience, said that she once sat in the first row to watch a movie and looked up the whole time. The experience was not good. "If The cinema has special wheelchair seats so that we can watch movies at eye level. "
The wheelchair viewing seats in Hall 3 of Cathay Cinema.
reporters found that the newly built theaters have fully considered the needs of wheelchair users. In addition to barrier-free passages, most of them are equipped with special seats for wheelchairs. In January this year, the Cathay Cinema on Huaihai Middle Road was updated and returned. Hall 3 is a special barrier-free theater. Representative Hong Chengdong went to the theater to do some research. "There are 11 seats in the first row of Hall 3, and 1 is a wheelchair viewing seat." He also noticed that the exit of Hall 3 is equipped with a special barrier for people with disabilities. bathroom.
Hall 1 of Shanghai Cinemas, also known as "Dolby Theater", is Asia's first innovative space with over 1,000 seats that provides Dolby immersive audio-visual experience. The reporter noticed that the distance between seats in Hall 1 has been greatly increased. There are 1,008 auditorium seats in the hall, including special seating areas for disabled people, and the distance from the screen is also relatively appropriate.
Accessible seats in the front row area of Wanping Theater.
Wanping Theater was rebuilt and returned to theaters 3 years ago. Its professional opera theater is very popular with the elderly. Taking into account the high proportion of elderly audiences, the theater not only set up a ramp to facilitate wheelchair audiences to enter the seating area, but also set up special barrier-free seats in the front row area of the theater for wheelchair audiences.
More "user perspective"
"The popularization of barrier-free facilities and information will not only help people in wheelchairs, but also friends with temporary fractures, elderly people with limited mobility, and us in the future. It will be the universalization of barrier-free construction. "Beneficiaries." Hong Chengdong said that from a national perspective, Shanghai's barrier-free construction of cultural venues is at the forefront, especially since the implementation of the "Shanghai Accessible Environment Construction Regulations" in 2023, the barrier-free construction of major public places All are speeding up. Data from
shows that among the 341 theaters currently operating in the city, 104 theaters and 244 theaters provide wheelchair seats, accounting for about one-third of the city's theaters. Currently, wheelchair seating arrangements have become a required inspection indicator for newly renovated cinemas in Shanghai. On-site visits by reporters and representatives found that most theaters and movie theaters have adequate barrier-free toilets, and some theaters are equipped with barrier-free toilets on every floor.
"But from the actual experience of wheelchair audiences, there is still a lot of room for improvement." Hong Chengdong said that after wheelchair users enter the cinema, they will still encounter certain obstacles, such as the width of the aisle and the slope of the cinema. All need some guidance. It is recommended to train a group of venue service personnel to provide venue guidance, help push wheelchairs, and use green channels for disabled people and the elderly.
In the view of representative Jin Jing, new cinemas will refer to the new construction standards, but there are still a number of old cinemas that are difficult to transform due to limited conditions. “The barrier-free transformation of many old cinemas is like a snail shell. Building a dojo cannot be achieved overnight, but as long as conditions are ripe, we hope to make changes. " Jin Jing suggested that following the practices of some foreign cities, wheelchair seats should be placed as close to the aisles as possible and as close to the entrance and exit as possible, while taking into account the needs of wheelchair audiences. Try to achieve "eye-level viewing" as much as possible.
How to let wheelchair audiences watch movies at eye level? The organizing department stated that the city's film management department has taken optimization measures since 2018, including the "nearest viewing distance" (the distance from the first row to the screen) of the theater into the annual inspection and approval standards for new theaters and theaters. For those with an indicator less than 0.5 times the screen No seat width will be reserved. This standard is higher than the previous industry standard of 0.38 times implemented by internationally renowned giant screen brands.
"The barrier-free construction of cinemas and theaters can have more 'user perspectives' and listen more to feedback from wheelchair audiences." Hong Chengdong mentioned that currently, Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou and other places have launched "wheelchair-friendly halls" for people with disabilities to visit After checking the relevant theaters, which rows can enjoy the wheelchair-friendly meeting will be marked, and the theater can improve the service based on the user experience. "If the barrier-free environment of theaters improves, I believe more wheelchair audiences will be willing to go out to watch movies, participate in cultural life on an equal footing, and enjoy cultural achievements."
