Accessibility Whangarei Events Cinema

As a disabled person, I use a mobility scooter because I do not walk well and suffer great pain when walking.

I do drive a car but the mobility scooter is the first choice, simply parking a car and walking can be a painful experience.

When going to the movies I take my mobility scooter I ride the scooter up the vehicle ramp onto the level where the cinemas are then I have to wait outside until somebody comes along that can open the events cinema doors for me to enter. I have done this for a number of years.

There is a reason because the accessible entrance to get to the second level of the carpark on James street Whangarei is not mobility scooter or wheelchair accessible even though it is labeled as accessible

This is the James Street entrance to the upper levels of the central city car park where the car park leading to level 2 is very clearly marked as wheelchair accessible, my understanding of accessible should mean independently accessible, for most wheelchair users this entrance is clearly not accessible, yes you can get in the lift, but.

When you arrive by the lift at the cinema level you will find a heavy door with a very heavy door closer designed to stop the wind blowing the doors open, there is no way to keep the door open, this would be a huge barrier to many disabled people in wheelchairs or unsteady on their feet.

If you do manage to get through this door without injury you will then be faced with another heavy door before you get into the cinema

Below is the main door into the cinema from the carpark this is also not an accessible entrance way, so if you arrive by car then jump in your wheelchair you will stuggle to enter inderpentantly

Above
This is the main street level entrance to Event Cinemas from James street for some disabled that is a long walk and stairs at the end. There is no signage to indicate any wheelchair access, disabled people like me will not go that way because it is a long walk, certainly for me with my disability it is.

The accessible entrance to the level 2 carpark is clearly marked 20 metres further up James Street

I was on my mobility scooter so I ventured deeper further down the hallway, what I found astounded me. A lift, I have been looking for signage to tell people this lift is there. There is no accessibility signage on James street or anywhere within the cinema complex at all.

I have found a lift I never knew it was there, people can be so unobservant no signage anywhere, people could easily walk up the stairs and not notice the lift. Because I am disabled it is a long walk for me so I did not walk up the hallway, because I did not walk up the hallway I would never have seen the lift.

Not only is this lift wheelchair accessible it is mobility scooter accessible the lift 20 metres down the road is wheelchair accessible but the stairwell doors the wheelchair user will then face are not, so the James Street entrance labeled accessible is not accessible

This entanceway is far more accessible than the one 20 metres down the street the easy answer is please put some signage up, also have a look at the entanceway marked accessible and decide if it is really accessible, my opinion is that it is not.

So put signage up to let people know this is the accessible entrance to Events Cinema and problem solved. it is my skill of using my eyes to see things that others don’t that would make me a great asset to the WDC Disability Advisory Group. Have to say I only see things in my view.

I am 85% + disabled walking along that hallway would be a big walk for me, so I have not made the walk, the lift cannot be seen until you get near the bottom of the steps, now if there was a sign then I would have gone up to have a look.