Vicdeaf -
Action On Cinema Access community protest
9 February 2010
A message from Action on Cinema Access group:
Hearing and sighted Australians have the choice of going to ANY CINEMA, ANY MOVIE and ANY SESSION.
But what about Deaf and blind Australians?
They have access to less than 1% of movies screened. Why? Because the cinema industry refuses to meet their needs for captioning and audio-description.
We think this is UNFAIR, UNJUST and UNAUSTRALIAN!
If you want to see a truly inclusive Australia, where people with a disability are treated as equal and valued members of our community, show your support by attending our national PROTEST.
On Saturday 13 February 2010 at 11.00 am, ACTION ON CINEMA ACCESS invites you to show the cinema industry that 1% is not good enough! Make sure your voice is heard by attending the public demonstration in your capital city.
Protests will be held in the cities of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth and Hobart.
Log on to Facebook on Thursday 11 February to find the location of your protest.
[Find us on Facebook under Action-On Cinema-Access. To access Facebook, you’ll need to create your own Facebook account (if you don’t have one already) at www.facebook.com]
This protest is organized by the community group Action on Cinema Access. For all information about the protest, see our Facebook page or Email protest spokesperson Dean Barton-Smith on dbartonsmith@optusnet.com.au
Media releases and fact sheets are also available on our Facebook page.
Important reminder: Whilst we want to send a strong message to the cinema industry that it’s time they listened and responded to the community, we want to do so in a peaceful and orderly fashion. Please come along and show your support, keeping the attached rules in mind on the day.
Further information
Find us on Facebook under Action-On Cinema-Access. To access Facebook, you’ll need to create your own Facebook account (if you don’t have one already) at www.facebook.com
For further information about our campaign, contact spokesperson Dean Barton-Smith at dbartonsmith@optusnet.com.au, or call Paul Madden on 0419 313 518
Rules of a Peaceful Protest
1. No offensive language2. Please do not interfere or disturb patrons entering or leaving the cinema
3. Please refer all media to the protest leader or spokesperson
4. This is a Stay-Put Protest which will occur at the gathering point
5. Do not block sidewalks & streets with your bodies or signs
6. Do not leave any trash, except in bins
7. SIGNS: no offensive words or symbols; wording must pertain to demonstration theme
8. No violence, no racism, no law-breaking
Possible slogans for placards
Please find below examples of possible slogans. Please note that you can bring your own placard or carry one of the spare placards available on the day.• Inaccessible is unacceptable
• This cinema is inaccessible
• Don’t accept inaccessibility
• 0.3% is not enough
• Discrimination is illegal
• Even blind people can see this is discrimination
• Don’t turn a Deaf ear to discrimination
• Are you listening?
• I’m Deaf but you’re not listening
• Exterminate exclusion
• Make inclusion the norm