Leeds Man Calls For Better Cinema Seating For Disabled
A man with muscular dystrophy and his mother are campaigning for better seating for disabled people in cinemas.
Christopher Beaumont, 21, who uses a wheelchair, was told he must move from the end of an aisle at a Vue cinema in Leeds because of fire regulations.
His mother Lynne said they had been sitting there because her son could not see the film properly from the disabled seating area.
The cinema has apologised, but said it must comply with fire regulations.
Ms Beaumont said when they went to watch a film at the cinema on Kirkstall Road they had originally sat in the disabled area, but her son had to turn his neck to see the screen.
‘Very angry’
Because of this, they moved to the end of an aisle. they were then told by a member of staff that they had to move because they were a “fire risk”.
Ms Beaumont, 53, said: “It was ridiculous, given that the cinema was almost empty.
“I was very angry. My son had paid full price for that ticket and so he should have been able to see the film properly.”
Ms Beaumont and her son are now seeking advice from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Steve Knibbs, chief operating officer for Vue Entertainment, said they had written to Ms Beaumont and her son “to apologise for any upset or frustration caused by the experience”.
He added that they must comply with fire safety regulations.
“We are investigating both Vue sites in Leeds to ensure we are providing the best possible experience for all of our customers.”
Same Difference 
Seems to me that Vue Cinemas attach very little importance to disabled customers. Its disgraceful that a wheelchair user should be placed at an angle to the screen rather than straight on to it. As was pointed out in the article, the gentleman in question paid the same price for his ticket but was given a less favourable experience.
The only time I ever visited a Vue cinema and asked a headset for Audio Description, the batteries ran out half way through the film so I had a lesser experience.
I didn’t get my money back, despite the fact that I asked for it. They offered me vouchers but as I don’t have a Vue cinema local to me I declined them.
In future, I’ll wait for the DVD to come out for any film I might want to see.
Its not enough just to apologise, things need to change.
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Thanks for sharing your experiences Mel and for the very good points you’ve made. I couldn’t agree more!
How sad and unfair that you feel you have to wait for DVDs now and miss out on the big screen experience that we both know you deserve as much as anyone else.
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