I recently came across sensory- friendly movies and thought that it was a brilliant idea. A few theatres in the US offer special sensory- friendly screenings of popular movies. They leave the lights on, turn the volume down and allow the audience to sing, dance, clap or move around. Families are also allowed to bring special diets for their children into the theater. It’s a great concept for children with autism, and in fact any children with Special Needs.
It’s a step towards encouraging people with special needs to enjoy pleasures that others enjoy, and relate to the community they are a part of. It’s also great for families and parents with special children who find it impossible to go out for a movie with their child.
A number of theatre groups are catching up with this new concept in the US. However, here in India, we haven’t got there yet. I looked a little, but could not find anything about other countries.
I’ve started a list of some theatres that provide special sensory- friendly screenings with contact information. In case you know of any more, do let me know. If you know of something in any other country, let me know about that too, and let’s try and compile a list that parents can use.
Theatres/ Organizations providing sensory- friendly movie screenings:
USA
AMC Theatres List of theatres participating Contact for a screening in your area
Chunky’s Cinema Pub http://www.chunkys.com/
Ashland Cinemas 541-535-2992.
Wilmette Public Library http://www.wilmettelibrary.info/
Hollywood Connection Ritz 13 (706) 604-6333 Further information
