Accessibility
Overview
The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival strives to provide an accessible environment and positive Festival experience for all patrons. We are committed to developing and maintaining Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) standards and we require all imagineNATIVE staff and volunteers to complete AODA online training to gain greater awareness of our patrons’ needs. We are committed to removing barriers and encouraging a space where our whole community feels at home.
Open Captions + Subtitles
We strive to offer Open Captions on all films in cinema and Closed Captions on all films online, however some films may be presented with English Subtitles only.
- Subtitles are a translation or transcription in English of all the video’s spoken dialogue in any language.
- Captions are a translation or transcription in English of all of the video’s spoken dialogue and key sound cues to give context for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing viewers.
Please refer to our film listings on our Event Schedule for the most up-to-date information on which screenings offer which type(s) of readable text.
ASL Interpretation
Select introductions and post-screening Q&As will be presented with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. Please refer to our online listings on our Event Schedule for the most up-to-date information. If you are attending a screening and have accessibility needs please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org.
Sensory Friendly Screenings
These screenings allow guests with various accessibility needs to have a positive sensory friendly and inclusive environment.
- This means:
- Theatre lights are dimmed (not completely off)
- Theatre sound levels are slightly lower than typical
- No trailers or advertisements will play before the screening
- Minimal introductions and no Q&As
- Guests can enter and exit the theatre freely during the screening
- Silence is not expected
TIFF Lightbox Building Accessibility
The TIFF Lightbox’s main entrance is 52″ wide with automatic balanced sliding doors. The side entrance is 40″ wide with a push-button swinging door. The building elevators measure 41″ wide, and there is a wheelchair-accessible ramp that measures 111″ wide leading up to the cinemas on the second floor.
We use Cinemas 1, 2, 3, and 4, all of which have wheelchair seating as well as step-free accessible seating. The doors are propped open during film load in and closed during the films, however there are ushers positioned near the exits who will open the doors for those who may need to leave during any screening. Please contact boxoffice@imagineNATIVE.org and/or accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org if you have questions or concerns about which seats to book.
Barrier-free washrooms are available on every level of the TIFF Lightbox building.
Service animals are allowed on the premises at the TIFF Lightbox.
Special Events Accessibility information
Captioning and ASL information can be reduced to just general information about Captioning, info about For the Grandbabies and Cafe Daughter should be removed.
Native Canadian Centre Toronto (NCCT) features a service elevator located on the south side of the building that allows wheelchair access to all levels of the building with a width of 36 inches and capacity of 1400 lbs or two persons and a wheelchair. The main entrance is stairs leading to a door that is 33 inches wide. The remaining doors are also 33 inches wide. The main double doors to the auditorium are 61.5 inches wide.
Steam Whistle Brewery is wheelchair accessible and the entrances and event space are located on a single floor. None of the doors are automatic but the doors to Pilsner Hall will be left open during the event. The entrance doors to the tap room are 6 ft wide.
Please note there will be no ASL interpreters at the Opening Night Party.
TD Music Hall is wheelchair accessible and has a limited number of courtesy wheelchairs available for guests. Service animals are welcome in the space. Certified First Aid,Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) service providers are on duty for every event.
Please note there will be no ASL interpreters at The Beat.
Screenings at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
All of our screening rooms and washrooms at the TIFF Bell Lightbox are fully accessible, and service dog-friendly. The main doors are sliding and automatic with a standard automatic door located just to the left of the main entrance. Elevators to every floor are located on the east side of the atrium. Access to each cinema also features ramp access. There are designated accessible seating areas available in each cinema. Ushers are stationed at the entrance to each cinema to open doors for guests.
For more information on our screening venue please visit the FAQs under “In Person Festival”.
Industry Days Events at the TIFF Bell Lightbox
Industry Days passes can be applied for online. All Industry Days panels will have ASL interpreters.
The imagineNATIVE + APTN lumi Web Series Pitch Forum and Micro Meetings will not offer ASL interpretation.
Industry Days Events at the Centre for Social Innovation (CSI)
Industry events taking place at CSI such as Micro Meetings on Thursday, October 19 and all panels on Saturday, October 21 have the following restrictions:
The space is service-dog friendly, however it is not fully accessible. It can be reached via an elevator with a door which is 30 inches wide.
The venue is committed to ensuring all members and their guests can use their services. If you have any accessibility concerns or questions please reach out to the CSI Community Manager: marcus@socialinnovation.ca.
Captioning + ASL
For festival screenings – all words spoken in any language (including English) in the screening will have words in English on screen so audiences can engage with content as they see fit.
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Subtitles are a translation or transcription in English of all the video’s spoken dialogue in any language.
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Captions are a translation or transcription in English of all of the video’s spoken dialogue and key sound cues to give context for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing viewers.
In 2023, nearly half of our festival events had ASL interpreters for introductions, Q&As, and panels or presentations.
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Subtitles are a translation or transcription in English of all the video’s spoken dialogue in any language
-
Captions are a translation or transcription in English of all of the video’s spoken dialogue and key sound cues to give context for Hard-of-Hearing audience members
We provide ASL interpretation at some of the feature and shorts films! For the most up-to-date information on which screenings offer which type of readable text, please refer to our online listings as we continue to announce details for our Festival.
For Captioning and ASL options, please refer to our up-to-date accessibility document.
- Short Film Program 1: For the Grandbabies | 52 minutes
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October 18, 2023 3:00 PM
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- Café Daughter | 95 minutes
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October 21, 2023, 9:00 PM
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There are no ASL interpreters present for either of the Sensory Friendly Screenings. There will be an introduction about how Sensory Friendly Screenings work, however there is no live discussion.
ASL Interpretation
Selected introductions and post screening Q&As will be presented with ASL interpretation. Please look to our online listings for the most up to date offerings.
Assistive Listening Devices
Phonic Ear Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs) are available at TIFF Bell Lightbox. The devices, compatible with any Festival screening, will be made available to patrons requesting them through the TIFF Box Office.
In-Person + Online Elder Support
imagineNATIVE greatly values the importance of healing and cultural safety. We understand that some content presented by imagineNATIVE may be upsetting or triggering for both direct and intergenerational survivors of trauma. For this reason support workers will be available for council during both the in-person and online portions of our Festival. Support at our in-person Festival will take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox from October 18-23, 2022. Support via phone will be available throughout our entire Festival from October 18-30, 2022.
These services are for anyone, including non-Indigenous people, requiring emotional support or access to traditional medicines.
We will strive to provide verbal disclaimers during introductions for in person programs containing scenes of graphic violence, sexual violence, or deal with issues of Indian Residential Schools. Please check our film listings online for up to date content warnings and ratings.
TD FREE FRIDAY
imagineNATIVE is pleased to announce the return of TD Free Friday at the 2022 Festival! Thanks to TD’s generous contribution, tickets to all screenings on Friday, October 21, 2022 will be free. TD Free Friday is intended to provide a greater opportunity for a larger number of individuals to experience the Indigenous-made programming featured at the imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
Below are some of the questions we regularly receive about this topic. If you have another question that isn’t answered here, you can browse our comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions page.
Yes. Select introductions and post-screening Q&As will be presented with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation. If you are attending a screening and have accessibility needs (including requests to have ASL interpreters and requests to reserve seating near the ASL interpreters) please reach out to accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org.
imagineNATIVE recognizes the importance of healing and cultural safety. We understand that some content during the Festival may be upsetting or triggering for both direct and intergenerational survivors of trauma. For this reason, support workers will be available on-site. These services are for anyone, including non-Indigenous people, requiring emotional support.
Support workers will be on-site at the TIFF Lightbox on select dates and times. For the most up-to-date information during our Festival season, please check our Health and Wellness page.
The films in the Festival have not been rated. Under the Film Content Information Act, 2020, there is no longer a requirement to provide movie ratings for films shown in Ontario. Viewing content with younger family members is up to your discretion.
We post content warnings on our website’s Event Schedule, in our Festival catalogue, and on our virtual screening platform alongside films and other works that contain sensitive and graphic content to help you navigate the screenings.
Health and wellness support workers are available throughout the Festival in case of any audience member needing support with the content being displayed. These services are for anyone, including non-Indigenous people, requiring emotional support.
We are happy to announce that all of our venues are wheelchair accessible and barrier free. If you or someone else wants to inquire more about the Festival venues, we’re more than happy to provide you with further information upon the request, please email accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org.
Anyone is welcome to attend Sensory Friendly Screenings. These are screenings where the environment is adjusted to accommodate guests with various accessibility needs to have a positive sensory friendly and inclusive environment. This means:
- Theatre lights are dimmed (not completely off)
- Theatre sound levels are slightly lower than typical
- No trailers or advertisements will play before the screening
- Minimal introductions and no Q&As
- Guests can enter and exit the theatre freely during the screening
- Silence is not expected
Accessible seating is reserved for guests who are disabled and their companions only. If you or someone else require accessible seating at a venue, please email accessibility@imagineNATIVE.org as early as possible to reserve your seating.
The Accessibility Beacon appears in the upper left corner of the imagineNATIVE website’s home page. It is also available on our virtual screening platform. It is a circular button with the outline of a person in it. You can also access it by pressing CTRL+U on your keyboard.
Click through each of the buttons that appear on the Accessibility Beacon menu to choose the option that works best for you. Options include: screen contrast adjustment, link highlighting, bigger texts, bigger text spacing, pause animations, dyslexia-friendly font, cursor changes, tooltips, bigger line height, and uniform text alignment.
Log into our virtual screening platform. Go to the lower right corner of the screen and click the button that looks like a screen with closed captioning as highlighted below.
