Accessibility at Out On Screen

What accessibility supports has Out On Screen implemented?

We take steps each year to improve the accessibility of all of our programs, and we try to make this information available in our Festival Guide and on our website so that you can make informed decisions about your attendance.

We are in the midst of a multi-year plan to improve the accessibility of our programs, with each new support operationalized in the following year. Current supports are listed here:

  • Discounted tickets for students, seniors and low income patrons 
  • Physically accessible washrooms and gender-destabilizing signs on washroom doors at all venues 
  • Accessibility volunteers 
  • Community ticketing - complimentary tickets provided to community groups for those who face financial/other barriers to attending the Festival
  • Free companion seating
  • Limited funding to support accessible travel by request
  • Scent sensitive policy 
  • Venue accessibility information for all festival venues
  • Website accessibility plug-in

Alternative Seating

  • At all of our venues, we have a limited number of chairs without arms available for folks who require alternative seating options. You can email boxoffice@outonscreen.com to request a chair in advance. Once you arrive at a venue for a screening (please arrive early if possible), ask a volunteer or staff member to speak to the venue manager and we will happily show you the seating options available.

ASL & Captioning

  • All films shown online have closed captions.
  • All films at in person screenings have open captions. 
  • The quality of captions, e.g. whether audio is described in addition to spoken words or not, depends on what the filmmaker has provided. For non-English spoken films, we are relying on the translated subtitles provided by the filmmaker, which typically don’t include audio description.
  • ASL interpreters will be present at all artist Q&As and for preshow announcements at opening and closing night.
  • For other spoken welcomes and introductions, there are auto-generated live captions displayed on the screen behind the host.
  • Each film page is updated with information about ASL and captions as they are confirmed.
  • Other Pre-Film Content:
      • Sponsor ads before the film have open captions for spoken words.
      • Movie trailers may have some subtitles, but no captions.
      • The VQFF trailer will have open captions for spoken words.

If any support you need is missing, please contact us so we can make a plan to address this gap.