On March 01, my family and I decided to go to a movie. It had been a long time since we had been out to watch a film together and since all of us were home, we thought it would be a good outing too.
We booked 4 tickets for Gangubai Kathiawadi on ‘book my show’ at PVR Cinemas, Vegas Mall, Sector 14, Dwarka. The layout on the website showed 4 seats reserved for persons with disabilities.
We were really excited because it was for the first time that I’d have been experiencing an accessible theatre experience. All of us were really excited and looking forward to it.
However, when we reached there, we found that there were no accessible seats for persons with disabilities.
Instead, there were just regular seats reserved for persons with disabilities. We cross-checked the seat number to make sure that we were at the right spot. We were. And the seats were not accessible.
I spoke to the deputy manager there and told him that this was not wheelchair accessible. He said that those were the seats that were meant for persons with disabilities and suggested that I shift into the theatre chair from my wheelchair. I refused. When we explained to him that that was not what wheelchair accessible meant, I was told that the theatre was wheelchair accessible because the wheelchair could enter the theatre. I was at a loss for words.
With no option, I had to sit away from my family near the door, like an outsider!
I want to know what happens after wheelchair-users enter the theatre?
Where were we supposed to sit? And why did they claim wheelchair access when there was not even a proper, dignified seating arrangement!? Why was I required to move out of my chair? Am I not supposed to watch films if I’m a wheelchair user? Why am I made to feel unwelcome every time? Why was I required to sit away just because I use a wheelchair?
What inclusion are we talking about? This is 2022 and we still don’t know what wheelchair access is? Why can’t I just feel included and welcomed for once?
It’s frustrating to experience discrimination every single time! This was not the first time I faced this in the theatre. What an irony that this happened on International Wheelchair Day! My family time was certainly ruined by this distasteful experience with PVR Cinemas. Infuriated, frustrated and sad, I took to social media to share my ordeal and it was mind-blowing how so many other persons with disabilities, especially wheelchair-users, had experienced similar discrimination.
I spoke to the deputy manager there, after the movie. He apologized and assured me that he’d convey it to the committee and make the theatre accessible.
But the question here is not the fact that the theatre was not accessible; it’s rather the fact that we were not offered what we paid for. There was fraudulent marketing. And why? Why was I not given the same treatment of respect and dignity even though I paid exactly what everyone else paid, for the exact film that everyone in the hall was watching on the same screen as everyone else?
It’s high time we understand that persons with disabilities are not just passive receivers of services; we contribute as much as our non-disabled counterparts do.
Then, why are we treated as if we’re being bestowed with a favour? Our rights, dignity and respect is not a joke.
I really hope they educate themselves on what exactly wheelchair accessibility is and sensitize their employees on how to accommodate persons with disabilities so as to ensure that they have happy experiences too!
23-year-old Kavya is pursuing their Masters in Applied Psychology at the University of Delhi.