Comparing Two Odeons

For my next review, I shall compare 2 cinemas of the same chain. Cinemas, like theatres also have audio described, subtitles and hearing loop enabled films. Generally, the Odeon are meant to have Audio description on all of their films, the Vue, depending on what cinema you go to. The Vue Cheshire Oaks are all available with audio description, but at Vue Birkenhead, you have to check the time and film, and the Light in New Brighton states on the website they don't have Audio Description although after emailing them they have since told me they do now have audio description on all films.

The ODEON Bromborough is located on the Croft Retail Park.

This is a variety of shops like the works (my favourite!), Poundland, Asda and many other brands of retail. There are also restaurants and cafes KFC, costa, Nandos and the Harvester. It is entirely flat and set out in a square so you can't get too lost. There is one set of Traffic lights from Asda to the other shops as Asda is in the middle of the croft estate. Today, I will focus my assessment on the ODEON cinema here. As we arrived, the friendly man who worked there told my mum and I about the new booking system. If, like us, you find computers a bit daunting and prefer to talk to another human, and don't like to pre-book your tickets, you have to use their interactive machine, which, after wiping it down with a disinfectant wipes, you discover it is inaccessible to a blind person as it has no voiceover, and even your mum, who has full sight cannot operate it. We had to ask for human help. Apparently these machines of hi-tech wizardry are so hi-tech that they don't work, are here to stay. Oh dear. The actual wheelchair access is brilliant. It's all flat, the cafe is spaced out well and the staff are helpful and will direct you to the right screen, hold the door open etc. There's also a ramp that's usually lit up to guide the way, which is helpful when you're visually impaired. however, on this occasion, the spotlights were out. I didn't feel safe driving my chair where I had very limited vision, so asked my mum to push me. The usher directed us to the correct screen and held the door. After we were shown to our seats I was given the audio description head phones, I put on the headphones... Only to hear silence. Not even a static crackle. We left after 40 mins. I had no idea what was going on as I couldn't see it, but I enjoyed the music. My mum also had no idea what was happening in the film as she kept dashing off to ask for replacement headphones (I tried them all). We'd been assured they worked. My mum observed that when she switched from audio descript to the hearing loop function, which magnifies sound on films for the hard of hearing, it worked perfectly, so we wondered if the staff had got their disabilities mixed up.

We then went to the ODEON Liverpool One to see the same film and had a totally different experience. Liverpool one was built with accessibility in mind. There are plenty of lifts, it’s all flat and the shop doors are all automatic. The only things I don't like about it are: On the Lord Street Debenhams entrance quite soon into Liverpool One there is sudden downwards stairway that leads to the bottom floor. It has no indicator at certain injury or worse lies ahead to a blind person, as there is no tactile pavement, except for grooves that are too near to the edge the stairs. Bobbled yellow paving to would be better to highlight the stairs to a cane user. The modern obsession with silver bollards and bins. It's like playing dodgems, trying to avoid people, random bollards and bins. Being visually impaired means it's very hard to distinguish between the dark grey of the pavement and the lighter grey of the silver bollards and bins. Many crashes have happened!

On the top floor, where the Odeon is, there are a few blended steps which is a ramp that swings round sharply at the far left of the restaurants floor. This has no different coloured paving, the only indicator to alert blind/visually impaired people that you are approaching stops, there are horizontal grooves at the top of the stairs.

Anyway back to the ODEON access... Once you follow the popcorn scent through the automatic doors into the large, spacious foyer. Here we were, again, asked our vaccine status and then introduced to the booking screens. As I knew from Bromborough that these are inaccessible, mum booked us in. After thoroughly cleaning 2 screens, they both froze and we headed over the man at the tills. I said to my friend who' come with us, 'I bet he only wants the screens cleaned.' Before the film, we had lunch in costa coffee. Despite a limited choice, there were only a handful of tables, so quite spacious. The disabled toilet was on the foyer level. Although it was very clean,we did our own cleaning, the door handles, toilet seat, taps, sink, toilet roll holder, balance/safety bar and wall grip a deep clean before using. The disabled toilet was small though and didn't have turning room, never mind an adult size changing table or hoist for those who need it. The soap dispenser and taps were difficult to see in the gloomy lighting. At the Liverpool ONE ODEON, the screens are mostly upstairs. There is one lift. It is strange set in the middle of the floor, its raised with 2 entrances. To the left is a ramp, to the immediate right is a step. Wheelchair users and visually impaired people need to be careful when exiting as its unsafe. The lift is small and has no turning room. In the actual film theatre, about 2 or 3 wheelchair users are allocated front row seats with a choice of either staying in the chair or getting out to sit in a cinema seat. * please notes depending on what alphabetical line of seating you go for, there is a small step. Thankfully the third pair of headphones worked and I was able to enjoy the film. So how can ODEON Bromborough and the Liverpool ONE ODEON improve their access? Bromborough can: - check the spotlights on the ramp are on. - staff to understand what audio description and hearing loop is and the difference between visually impaired and hearing impaired. - check both functions are working in all screens including from the wheelchair spaces. - Better adapted toilets with hoists and changing beds. Liverpool one Odeon can - Have a shadowed banister around the lift. - Highlight the step. - A voiceover in the lift. - Toilet. There is enough space to extend it to fit a hoist and adult sized changing table for those who need it. - check the computer booking system works and consider a voiceover. Which is better? Both, overall, have fantastic access, with areas of improvement. Initially, when I started this review, one, I had thought the Odeon Liverpool one would come out tops access wise, it being a new, modern building and all, but I have to say, aside from the audio description being a bit hit and miss, for me, Bromborough wins.