Free cinema for crips
- 11 Oct 05, 12:00 AM
Well, kind of.
If you're in receipt of DLA, or you've got a disabled person's railcard, or you're registered blind, you can apply for a .
For a one-off administrative fee of £5, you get a card which entitles you to a free cinema ticket for the person accompanying you. And it's valid for three years. It's even notched along one of the short edges to "aid recognition" if you're visually impaired. (So, no danger of handing over your credit card to the box office staff by mistake, then.)
Of course, this is actually intended to prevent you having to pay for two seats if you're not able to go to the cinema on your own. But there are loads of people who are eligible but can manage quite nicely on their own, thanks very much, and who can therefore split the cost of the single ticket with a mate and/or demand that said mate supplies them with vast quantities of popcorn, jelly snakes and over-priced fizzy drinks in recompense for the free ticket.
Comments
Do you not think that this is the sort of thing that only serves to alientate non disabled people and give out more of an wrong impression of disabled people being "freeloaders" and wanting something for nothing? You can end up with situation of a highly paid independent disabled person paying less that, say an unwaged single mother. Maybe it would be better to have a scheme where all people in receipt of any benefits for whatever reason can get a card that entitles them to discounts.
The cinema I use (UGC at Great Park, Rubery) has done this as long as I can remember (a free ticket for the "pusher", that is). They even extend it to the "pay £15 and see as many films as you want for 4 weeks" scheme they run.
My local cinema does free tickets for crip companions without needing to pay £5 every three years for the pleasure... :-P
Becca, I wholeheartedly agree with the sentiments you expressed - I myself have known about the scheme for a few months but it keeps slipping my mind to apply for the card...
Jake, with this system, the disabled person pays the price they would usually pay, but can take an additional person in for free. Personally, I consider it a small repairation from the cinema industry for something getting on for a century of substandard access and service, which extends - still - to their only ever providing access and space for wheelchair users so close to the screen as to make a trip to the cinema uncomfortable if not downright pointless for the wheelie involved. When I'm being provided with a service that is equal in every way to that enjoyed by a non-disabled person (eg a choice of where to sit if having a 'wheelchair day', reliable access to audio description or subtitles for my visually or hearing impaired friends, carpets on which I can keep up with my friends without getting a friction burn for my troubles), then I will gladly pay the full price for myself and my friend, should I be able to afford to do so. Also just to add that every time I've used my CEA card, the other patrons have been absolutely oblivious to the fact. Totally. They didn't know it was there. You show it to the cashier, you pay whatever you have to pay, you get your tickets, you go. Can't resent what they don't know about...
hi i completely agree with becca and have recently applied for the card