Students with autism are all excited to see a sensory-friendly movie

While movies may educate and create awareness about certain issues, they are made to entertain, first and foremost.

Unfortunately, several establishments like cinemas, are not built to accommodate people with disabilities (PWDs) such as those with autism.

But this should not be enough reason to deny them — especially children — the simple joy of watching a movie inside a cinema just like everyone else.

Recently, years of waiting and wanting to give people with autism the chance to experience watching a movie inside a real cinema have come to an end when the Autism Society Philippines (ASP) — in partnership with SM Committee on Disability Affairs (SM-CDA) — launched the Sensory Friendly Movies (SfM) project.

Inspired by a similar project of the Autism Society of America, “SfM gives persons with autism and their families and their caregivers the opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment,” notes ASP president Dang Koe.

At the SM Cinema 3 of The Block in SM North EDSA in Quezon City, about 200 children with autism, parents and caregivers, 20 teachers and school heads of schools were treated to a real cinema experience featuring the animated movie “Up.” Among the schools were Bridges Foundation Iinc., Alternative Llearning for Resource School, Cradle of Llearners, Iimmaculate Concepcion Parish School, New Hhope Special Eeducation Center, Wise Llight, Commonwealth Eelementary School and Iindependent Lliving Center.

Pinky Cuaycong, full-time mom of two boys — a 16-year-old high school junior and a 14-year-old with profound autism—shares that SfM is like a dream come true. Pinky admits that they have never been to any cinema to watch a movie as a family. “Now, it feels like our very first date and Ii still have goose bumps just thinking how something like this can change the lives of these children,” she says.

TURNING DOWN THE VOLUME

Sensory friendly movies are primarily designed to achieve two things: minimize the adverse sensory experiences of the audience, and to maximize the ultimate viewing experience.

SM-CDA chairman, Eengr. Bien Mateo says the project needed a lot of preparation and series of consultations before it finally pushed through.

The major consideration, Mateo explains, would be how to eliminate the technical barriers.

“Iit is very important to pay attention to technical aspects such as the sound since kids with autism have the tendency to be agitated when the sound is too loud,” he explains.

Aside from turning down the sound volume, SM Cinema also brought up the lights, allowed families and students to bring in their own snacks, and eliminated movie previews and advertisements to provide a more accepting and comfortable setting for their special audience.

“We even allowed the audience to get up, dance, walk, shout, sing, go in and out of the cinema as long as safety of audience is not threatened,” he says.

Moreso, the project also provided support of desensitization program of special schools in training their students to acquire socially-appropriate behaviors inside movie houses.

SM Supermalls president Annie Garcia ensures that all the children with autism all over the country will be given a chance to watch sensory-friendly movies.

“We don’t want exclusion in our malls,” she says. “We partner with projects like these so there will be inclusion for these kids with special needs not only in our malls but in the society in general,” she says.

Believing that the move will certainly benefit the estimated 600, 000 Filipino families dealing with autism in different parts of the country, SM plans to roll this SfM project in other SM Cinemas nationwide.

“This is something that we are working closely with ASP since it requires careful planning before we can finally roll it out from Baguio all the way down to Davao,” she reveals.

SM has been supporting PWDs for many years now by making sure that their personnel — from executives to guards and janitors — are trained to deal with them and their families and assist them as much as they can.

“we are more helpful with one another, maybe there will be more happiness in this world,” she ends.