Accessibility at Picturehouse
Plan your visit and learn more about our facilities.
Plan your visit and learn more about our facilities.
Here you can find an outline of all the accessibility facilities and services we offer at Picturehouse. For details about what's available at each cinema, scroll down to the bottom of the page. If you need help booking tickets, can't find what you're looking for here, or have a question about anything accessibility-related, call us!
Text Relay call 18001 02072 947908. Check out the Relay UK app for more details.
The helpline is open Monday to Sunday, 10.00 to 18.00, every day except Christmas Day.
We offer free entry for accompanying carers and accept the CEA card – a national initiative that offers a free ticket to carers/companions accompanying disabled guests to the cinema.
To find out more about the CEA card scheme and register for a card, visit www.ceacard.co.uk, or contact them via telephone: 0124 452 6016, minicom: 0845 123 1292, textphone: 0845 123 1297 or email: info@ceacard.co.uk. The card is personal to you, and may not be used by other people.
Once you've chosen the screening you wish to attend, enter your unique CEA card number in the Ticket Voucher field on the 'Select Tickets' page. Select 'Add to Order' and complete your booking as normal.
Enter your CEA card number in the Voucher Barcode field when selecting tickets.
Simply present your CEA card to the attending member of staff.
Call 0207 294 7908 and quote your CEA card number.
Advance booking is always a good idea so that our staff can readily provide any help you need. Accompanying carers are eligible for a free ticket. We'll happily reserve wheelchair spaces or seats in any particular part of the auditorium if this is helpful.
You can book wheelchair spaces and carer tickets online or by phone (0207 294 7908; Text Relay call 18001 02072 947908). Please see the carers section above for more details about carer tickets.
For guests with vision impairment, we have an Audio Description (AD) system. Like a narrator telling a story, AD is an additional commentary describing body language, expressions and movements taking place and is delivered via a wireless headset, which you can borrow from the Box Office when you collect your ticket. The AD soundtrack is undetectable to anyone not wearing a headset and fits within the silent gaps in a film so it doesn't interfere with the dialogue.
For more details about the headsets and Audio Description, check the accessibility page for your local Picturehouse. To find out if a screening is audio-described, check the film listings on our website (look for the 'AD' tag), ask a member of staff at the cinema, or call our accessibility helpline.
Most of our cinemas have hearing loop facilities and/or infrared systems. Hearing loops are generally found in the public area of the cinema, such as at the ticket office and refreshment counter, as well as in some cinema screens. A hearing loop sends sound from a source – such as a microphone at a counter – straight to hearing aids on the hearing loop setting (this used to be called the 'T' setting). Most hearing aids have a hearing loop setting.
Infrared systems are generally used within the screens to amplify the film's soundtrack. The cinema provides an infrared neck loop receiver and all you have to do is turn on the hearing loop setting on your hearing aid. For details about the equipment available at each cinema and how to use it, check the accessibility page for your local Picturehouse.
We offer regular subtitled (captioned) screenings, which provide a transcription of the audio from a film, displayed at the bottom of the cinema screen. Along with the dialogue from the film, the subtitles include non-dialogue audio such as "(sighs)" or "(door creaks)" to ensure people who are deaf or hard of hearing can enjoy the full film plot. These screenings may also benefit those with English as a second language. Subtitled screenings are programmed on a weekly basis, but not all films are provided with a captioned track, so some weeks we may have fewer subtitled screenings as a result.
Guide dogs are welcome at our cinemas. If you wish to take a dog into a performance, please let us know when booking so we can arrange an aisle seat. Alternatively, a member of staff can look after them for the duration of the performance (as long as no one in the manager's office has an allergy that could be affected). We'll be happy to provide drinking water for your dog, too.
We're very proud that we were the first cinema group to introduce Autism-Friendly screenings, all the way back in 2009.
At these screenings, we strive to create an environment that is welcoming for people with a range of conditions such as autism, learning disabilities and cognitive disorders. Sound levels are turned down, the lights are left on at a low level and there are no trailers or adverts at the beginning of the film. Audience members are welcome to take a break from the screen, make noise and move around as needed.
Autism-Friendly screenings run at most of our cinemas on the third Sunday of the month. Please check the listings at your local Picturehouse to find out more.
We've been running Dementia-Friendly screenings at Picturehouse since 2015. These screenings are open to all but cater especially for people living with dementia. The films are specially programmed with a focus on older classics and musicals. Sound levels are turned down if it is a loud soundtrack, the lights are left on at a low level, and there are no trailers or adverts at the beginning of the film.
Free tea/coffee and biscuits are served before the film to give audience members a chance to socialise and familiarise themselves with the building. There's also a short interval about halfway through the film, and guests are welcome to take a break from the screen, make noise and move around as needed.
Dementia-Friendly screenings run at different dates and times depending on the cinema with free ticket for accompanying carers – please check the listings at your local Picturehouse to find out more.
