Stratford Cinemas to hold open caption screening of The Odyssey, sensory friendly Paw-Patrol: The Dino Movie

By: Emily Stewart

A local movie theatre will have accessible film screenings this summer to accommodate more patrons.

Stratford Cinemas will have an open caption screening of the summer blockbuster The Odyssey on Aug. 22, featuring subtitles on the screen.

The movie theatre will also offer sensory-friendly screenings of Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie that will have adjusted venue lighting and audio to accommodate young children.

"We find that a lot of little littles don't like the darkness and some of it is a little bit too loud, so we'll have the lights dimmed but still on and then the volume level will be a little bit lower,” said Nadie Shepherd, owner of Stratford Cinemas.

The open caption and sensory-friendly screenings will make the movie theatre more accessible and welcoming for all movie-lovers.

"We're just trying to provide opportunities for everyone to be able to come and see the movies, not just the ones that are open to coming to see them in the dark or normal volume. They would like the captions,” Shepherd said. “I watch TV at home with the captions on, so I'm one of those people that like it."

Earlier this summer, the Disability Pride flag was raised and flown for the first time to recognize Disability Pride Month in July. Stratford Festival is also offering an array of accessible performances offering open captions, described audio, American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters and sensory-friendly environments. Wheelchair and mobility seating are also available in the theatre venues.

More details for the screenings at Stratford Cinemas will be announced at a later time. To find out the latest updates on Stratford Cinemas online, visit either the Facebook or Instagram pages stratfordcinemas.ca.