The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-08737, in the name of Mark McDonald, on applauding autism-friendly theatre and cinema. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament applauds the numerous theatres and cinemas around Scotland for showing autism-friendly performances in 2013 in order to provide an enjoyable experience for both children and adults with autism; praises the recent efforts of Aberdeen Performing Arts for ringing in the New Year by hosting its first autism-friendly pantomime performance of Cinderella starring the actress, Elaine C Smith, on 3 January 2014, and notes that she has called for more autism-friendly productions in Scotland; also congratulates the Playhouse Theatre in Edinburgh and the cast and crew of The Lion King musical on hosting an autism-friendly performance in association with the National Autistic Society on 24 November 2013; commends the various autism-accessible showings at cinemas including, but not limited to, Vue and Cineworld, and hopes that the tradition of autism-friendly screenings and shows continues to grow to enable people with autism, as well as their families and carers, to enjoy access to entertaining performances in 2014 and beyond.
17:08
It is appropriate that we are having this debate on world autism awareness day. I begin by thanking those members who came along to the photocall to mark autism awareness day. I have to say, Presiding Officer, that the sight of you and other members of the Scottish Parliament on spacehoppers is one that will live with me for quite some time to come.
I will begin by setting the context and say why it is important that we are having the debate. I came into contact with a man by the name of Glyn Morris from Moray, who has been campaigning on the issue of autism-friendly theatre for some time. The genesis of his campaign came about when he and his family were asked to leave a performance of the musical “Wicked” in the west end because the low vowel sounds that his son makes were said to be disturbing the sound engineer.
For any parent, irrespective of whether they have a child with autism or another disability, being asked to leave a performance that the family had been looking forward to for some time would be extremely distressing. However, rather than accept that that should have happened, Glyn put his efforts into campaigning and has been campaigning successfully for autism-friendly theatre. He has inspired me to use what influence I have to try to build on his success.
There have been a number of successful autism-friendly performances in Scotland. In December 2012, a performance of “The Snowman” at Edinburgh Festival Theatre was billed as the first relaxed theatre performance in Scotland. A lot of people have asked me what it is about such a performance that makes it relaxed. In many respects, it is about making subtle changes, which can include leaving the house lights on or not turning them off completely, removing strobe lighting or loud bangs and sudden noises from the performance, allowing people to bring in their own food rather than requiring them to purchase food that is vended in the cinema or theatre, allowing people the freedom to get up and wander during the performance if they want to do so, and providing quiet areas to the side of the venue if people need to leave for whatever reason.
Such changes are not significant, but they are important and can make theatre and cinema more accessible, and not just to individuals on the autistic spectrum. I have been contacted by many parents of children and adults who have a range of disabilities and sensory impairments, who have said that relaxed performances have opened up theatre and cinema to their children and to people who have simply stayed away because they think that theatres and cinemas are not welcoming places.
I mentioned the relaxed performance at the Festival theatre. There have been other such performances. An autism-friendly performance of “The Lion King” in the west end was brought to Edinburgh in November. I will read out a few comments from parents who attended the performance. One said:
“My 5 year old son had a wonderful experience at the theatre ... Let’s hope it’s not a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Another said:
“My daughter had the most wonderful time at the theatre and was able to access the show, which would never have been possible without this event.”
Another parent said:
“My son Joshua loves the Lion King and I had longed to take him but never dared ... due to how he would react to a ‘normal’ performance and how people in the audience may react to him. It was a fantastic performance and the actors gave their all”.
That parent went on to say, of the audience:
“Seeing them so relaxed knowing they enjoy the show without fear of being judged by less understanding members of the public. You made a lot of people happy today and I know you have made happy memories for lots of families, including my son and I. Let’s hope other productions follow suit and do the same.”
Cineworld, Vue and Odeon cinemas have offered autism-friendly screenings, in partnership with Dimensions UK, which is a not-for-profit organisation that supports people who experience autism and people who have learning difficulties. During autism-friendly screenings, low lights are left on in the auditorium and the volume of the soundtrack is reduced. It is fine for customers to move around and make a noise during the film. Vue cinemas have a set date and time when autism-friendly screenings are available, and I know that Cineworld in my town, Aberdeen, offers such screenings on specific dates. I have written to the new owner and operator of the independent Belmont cinema in Aberdeen, to ask them to consider joining other operators in providing autism-friendly screenings.
Because I want to influence what happens, I also wrote to Aberdeen Performing Arts, to ask it to consider putting on an autism-friendly performance of its pantomime. I had seen that the Aberdeen Arts Centre had had a relaxed showing of its pantomime, and I thought that Aberdeen Performing Arts should do so too. I gained support from the theatre, the production company and the cast—indeed, Elaine C Smith said that she has a nephew with autism and that she remembered him coming to see her in panto and being unable to watch the show from within the auditorium because he was terrified by the noise and the lights.
I will read a testimony from one of the parents who attended that event and got in touch with me afterwards. She wrote:
“Just wanted to pass on huge thanks for arranging the relaxed performance of Cinderella at Christmas. We took our son to the theatre hoping that this might be something he could enjoy—and it was such a success! He had never been beyond the door of the theatre or cinema before, but because we were able to lead up gradually to the event—it worked! It was also his 21st birthday—so very emotional for us too.”
That was a fantastic but also upsetting thing to read. Here was a 21-year-old man who had never been able to access the cinema or the theatre before because he found himself excluded.
I finish by mentioning “The Lion King” again. One of the cast members made a very good speech before the performance. He said:
“Much too often, autism has to adapt to society. It’s about time a little bit of society adapted to autism!”
It brought the house down when he said that, because for the people in the audience that is what this is about. It is about ensuring that there are no barriers to accessing theatre and cinema out there. People who can attend a mainstream performance will never find themselves excluded by relaxed performances, but people with autism or other disabilities and sensory impairments often find themselves excluded by performances that are not put on with those adaptations in place. That is why I hope that members who speak in the debate, as well as highlighting the experiences that they have had in their own communities and constituencies, will consider what they can do to encourage and put pressure on more theatres, cinemas and production companies that bring tours to Scotland to put on such performances. I am sure that we all agree that that would be most welcome.
We come to the open debate. We will have speeches of about 4 minutes, please. Clare Adamson has intimated that she has to leave the chamber soon on other parliamentary business.
17:17
I apologise to Parliament for my having to leave immediately after I make my speech.
I congratulate Mark McDonald on securing the debate and commend him for the tremendous amount of work that he has done in raising awareness of, and expanding opportunities for, autism-friendly theatre and cinema productions. Although I support that work, he did not quite persuade me to get on a space hopper for international autism awareness day. I congratulate all my colleagues who were willing to take part; I might have a quiet bounce on the trampoline at home.
I did not have to look far to find many examples of autism-friendly productions in my region. Last Christmas, there was the K-Otic Productions relaxed pantomime “The Wizard of Oz” in East Kilbride, and the Hippodrome cinema in Bo’ness has a whole season of autism-friendly performances.
Music, creativity and culture are what define us as human beings. Access to culture should not be limited, and it is important that autistic young people have an opportunity to express their creativity by participating in music, theatre and performance. I therefore commend to the chamber a project in North Lanarkshire that is run by the council’s autism education unit and a charity called Reeltime Music. Reeltime Music exists to create and provide opportunities in the creative industries for disadvantaged young people, which will have an important impact on their personal, social and career skills. They are very talented youth workers.
Reeltime Music worked with a group of youngsters who got to be pop stars—performing, recording and even shooting a DVD. Known as the Castlehill Kool Dudes, all the youngsters have had an autistic spectrum disorder diagnosis and attend Castlehill primary school’s language and communication support centre. Their positions on the spectrum vary, with some having very little language and little communication with other people.
The eight-week music project let parents work with their children to help them to gain new musical skills and then premier their DVD at a special school event. The tutors from Reeltime Music, who have no specialist training in working with people with ASD, worked with the families in harmony to make a song choice and to plan a detailed storyboard for their video. They had a session in Reeltime Music’s Newarthill recording studio and they have now produced a fantastic version of “I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas.
Reeltime Music captures its magic moments at its weekly meetings. Everyone in that group says that there were more magic moments from that project than any other community engagement in which they had been involved.
That unique experience was one that each child not only took something different from, but which showcased their individual talents and skills in a way that their parents may never have seen. For some, that meant staying five minutes longer at each week’s sessions; for others, it was to show musical talent that no one had been aware was within them.
The deputy headteacher, Lorna Ferguson, said that
“The Reeltime Music project has been one of the most exciting, inspirational and rewarding experiences of my teaching career.”
All our children, including those with ASD, deserve
“exciting, inspirational and rewarding experiences”,
whether through enjoying culture or taking part in it. I commend Mark McDonald for the motion and for the fact that we have been able to debate it on world autism awareness day.
17:21
I congratulate Mark McDonald on securing the debate. I support the motion for highlighting what I see as being a great step towards inclusion and understanding of autism in Scotland.
Living with autism in 21st century Scotland does not just mean getting by with the basics of life; it means having the right to enjoy the same pastimes and pleasures as the majority of the population. Therefore, it is fitting in this year’s autism awareness week that we look at what is on offer to improve autistic people’s quality of life.
As the motion points out, many cinemas have been showing autism-friendly films. Indeed, United Kingdom cinema operators have come together to host the first-ever national week of autism-friendly screenings in support of world autism awareness day. The films are tailored to provide autistic children with a relaxing and entertaining experience, thereby reducing the chances of heightened anxiety. Reduced sound levels, increased lighting and advert-free content allow the audience group, their families and their carers to be comfortable and to feel fully included in the unique experience of cinema. People who may be excluded from the traditional cinema experience because they find the sensory experience to be overwhelming—not to mention the adverse reaction of other people who might be present, as Mark McDonald emphasised—are able to watch a wider variety of films more frequently in an environment that is conducive to their needs.
However, the new world of autism-friendly entertainment goes beyond the silver screen. Mark McDonald’s motion rightly highlights some of the progress that is being made on the live stage as the big names of Scottish pantomime welcome a new audience into our theatres. He mentioned in particular, as does his motion, Aberdeen Performing Arts, which did an incredible job in working to produce a relaxed or “softly, softly” version of the pantomime “Cinderella” on 3 January. That was a one-off, but it was much enjoyed by all those who attended, and who benefited from the more subdued presentation of the show’s extreme elements, such as pyrotechnics, loud noises and strobe lighting. Mark McDonald emphasised the comments of several parents—indeed, he quoted them—whose children benefited from that and other Edinburgh shows, including “The Lion King” and “The Snowman”.
The drive towards helping autistic people to engage in mainstream pleasure pursuits is not confined to cinema and theatre. Scottish Autism, which is a charity that works with high-functioning autistic adults, has been exploring new ways of helping individuals to develop relationships and connections with others through healthy socialisation and everyday environments. Groups of attendees decide on their preferred fields trips, so that the experience is tailored to their preferences. Through creating safe social spaces, we are able to give individuals the chance to form a better understanding of how to interact in everyday situations, and to do that in a way that ensures that they also feel that they are accepted and included. That is why the cinema and theatre initiative is such a laudable step forward.
The 2 April world autism awareness day is so incredibly important because it draws global attention to the need to place human rights at the heart of all our policy, and to uphold the human rights of children and adults who are on the autism spectrum. They have not only a right to the basics of life—clothing, a stable living, education and good health—but a right to live well. That means having access, wherever possible, to the same privileges as others, and to being met with understanding rather than by ignorance.
In the words of Ban Ki-moon, who is the secretary general of the United Nations:
“World autism day is about more than generating understanding; it is a call to action. I urge all concerned to take part in fostering progress by supporting education programmes, employment opportunities and other measures that help realize our shared vision of a more inclusive world.”
I once again congratulate Mark McDonald for lodging the motion.
17:25
I, too, congratulate Mark McDonald on securing the debate and commend him for highlighting a positive move by cinemas and theatres across Scotland. This is an excellent opportunity to highlight autism and to applaud the organisations that have opened their doors and provided facilities for children and adults with autism.
As we know, autism can be a complex developmental matter. It typically appears in the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. It is defined by a set of behaviours and is a spectrum disorder that affects individuals differently and to varying degrees. It is estimated that 1 per cent of the UK population has autism. That is one in every 100 people in the population. Each person with autism has different needs and barriers to overcome.
I have been fortunate on a number of occasions to meet representatives from an organisation called REACH for Autism, which is based in Inverclyde. It carries out excellent work on breaking down the barriers that surround autism. It is an excellent support group that was formed by parents who wanted to do more to ensure that despite autism, their children could meet their full potential. REACH for Autism provides a very welcome service that offers much-needed support, services and opportunities for children, adults and families who live with autism.
The underlying theme of REACH for Autism is connection and community, and it aims to fill the gaps in service provision. It likes to keep things simple and has developed a creative hands-on approach called the REACH way: a method with the five main areas of focus being relationships, education, action, community and health. The word “reach” means
“to hold out a hand to someone; to communicate with; to succeed in having an effect on someone.”
That is what REACH for Autism is there to do and what it does very successfully. It reaches out and helps families with autism. I commend the work of the organisation, which is there when families need it most and provides an excellent service to the people of Inverclyde.
One of REACH for Autism’s positive achievements is its work with the Waterfront cinema in Greenock. Its collaboration with the cinema ensured that autism-friendly screenings took place, which allowed children with autism to experience the pleasure and excitement of attending the cinema—but which Mark McDonald talked about—which all too often is denied to them.
I visited the Waterfront cinema last year, as part of my summer tour around West Scotland, and I was impressed by its commitment to its customers. I congratulate the Waterfront cinema on making the autism-friendly screenings happen and on its other social inclusion initiatives, including screenings for local day centres in Inverclyde. It does not do those things for profit—they are not usually commercially successful—but the owners of the company and the management team firmly believe that the Waterfront needs to be more than just a commercial cinema and that it has a duty to ensure that everyone who wishes to go to the cinema gets the opportunity to do so. That is a great commitment to have for the area and the whole of Inverclyde, including families with autism.
The work of that commercial cinema and its support—with the help of REACH for Autism—for children and adults with autism highlights what can be done in communities all across Scotland to provide autism-friendly screenings. I commend the Waterfront cinema and REACH for Autism and, once again, I commend Mark McDonald for bringing this important issue to Parliament today—world autism awareness day.
17:29
I add my congratulations to Mark McDonald on bringing the subject to the chamber and on his interesting and heartfelt contribution. I also congratulate him on his successful efforts to promote relaxed theatre and cinema in Aberdeen.
As today marks the seventh annual world autism awareness day, I will touch on some of the facts associated with the condition, and how a greater understanding is a huge advantage to helping people with autism lead a normal life. Autism affects millions of people around the world, including more than 700,000 in the UK alone. The condition affects how a person communicates and socially interacts but, as it has no physical signs, autism is often difficult to diagnose. Early intervention is essential.
Mark McDonald’s motion refers to theatre productions of “Cinderella” and “The Lion King”, and it is also interesting to note that at least six cinemas in Scotland now regularly offer autism-friendly screenings. Necessary adjustments, such as not making a screening too dark and reducing the loud movie volume, all help to enable an individual with autism to enjoy the performance.
Such initiatives are relatively recent and have their origins in the United States through the Theatre Development Fund, which created a programme that made theatres and cinemas more accessible to children and adults on the autistic spectrum. However, as these improvements in sensory-friendly establishments have occurred only in the past five years, we still have some catching up to do.
As we will all be aware, one of the characteristics of someone with autism is to be lively and often noisy and, in the confines of a cinema or theatre, such behaviour is wrongly frowned on by people who do not understand autism. Similarly, the desire to move around will not be acceptable to some of the audience. The great advantage of special screenings or performances is that people with autism, especially children, do not feel restrained. Moreover, the adjustments to lighting and sound remove any fear or trauma that an autistic person in a cinema or theatre might experience.
I will end my brief speech by mentioning a case I read about that highlights the need for people with autism to be given greater access to the arts. Daniel is a 10-year-old boy with Asperger syndrome who likes to talk to the characters on the screen. On one occasion, he was watching “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” when he became convinced that a spider had crawled across the screen. He wanted to share that with everyone around him and asked them if they, too, had seen the spider. The inevitable hissing and complaining that followed were very hurtful to Daniel’s mum and quite rightly made her feel very angry.
That is why the kinds of initiatives that we are discussing this evening are to be welcomed, and I pay tribute to cinema chains such as Vue and Cineworld for putting individuals ahead of profit. It is certainly the right approach.
Following its relaxed performance of the panto “Cinderella”, Aberdeen Performing Arts has announced a relaxed performance of “Horrible Histories” next month. Does that not demonstrate that there is nothing to fear from holding such performances, which, because of their success, can be repeated in future?
That sounds very interesting. I might even attend the performance myself to see what it is like.
I would certainly like this approach to be extended. After all, everyone enjoys the cinema and the theatre, and it is time that everyone was treated fairly and equally.
Once again, I thank Mark McDonald for securing the debate.
I call Patricia Ferguson, who will be followed by the minister.
17:32
First, Presiding Officer, I must apologise for moving my seat and confusing everyone. Unfortunately, my lectern was not working. We all have to deal with these little technical difficulties.
The motion calls on us to applaud autism-friendly theatre and cinema, which, of course, we do, but I also applaud Mark McDonald for bringing the motion to the Parliament and securing a debate on what is an extremely interesting and very important issue. Colleagues will not be surprised to hear that I truly believe in the transformational nature and power of the arts, and I very much welcome any work that allows young people to get involved. On a number of occasions, I have talked about how important the arts are to people who suffer from mental ill health, dementia and, indeed, physical ill health, but it is very interesting to focus on a particular group of people whose experience can be made so much better through a range of small but perhaps significant adjustments.
Although cinema is a wonderful medium that I greatly enjoy, what I find very special about live performances is the ability to share them with people whom we care about and with whom we want to enjoy the experience. That young people might be denied the opportunity to enjoy live theatre with their parents, family or friends because of their condition is something that should be challenged at every opportunity, and the kind of work that we have heard about this evening goes to the heart of that proposition.
Theatres can be intimidating places for anyone: people watch performances in the dark and may have to negotiate steep steps. That helps to make theatres places that are different and unusual. We are saying, however, that accommodating the needs and requirements of young people with autism shows that theatres do not always have to be like that and that there are other ways of doing things.
Such accommodation might also be welcome to other groups in society. My elderly father loves the theatre, but finds the steps very tricky to negotiate—and the lighting. Because of those problems, he finds going to the theatre quite hard. For people like him, going to see something with the lights still up would be very welcome. Perhaps we will look at that as a family.
I am conscious that a number of performing arts companies for young people specialise in or make a point of including young people with a range of disabilities in performances. That must be something that we welcome and encourage.
I know a young man with autism who lives not far from me. I have been in his company on a couple of occasions at performances in his younger sister’s school. His sheer enjoyment from those relatively simple performances cannot be measured. The fact that he is able to enjoy them with the rest of his family and can cheer on and applaud his younger sister is very special and is exactly the kind of thing that Mark McDonald talked about. I wonder whether it would be possible for organisations such as the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland to think about how they encourage students to look beyond the ordinary when they do theatre productions and to look for opportunities to work in the kind of situations that we have heard about.
This debate is a very good way of celebrating and raising awareness of autism awareness day, and I thank Mark McDonald for bringing it to the chamber.
17:37
I, too, thank Mark McDonald for bringing the debate to the chamber on the seventh annual world autism awareness day and for highlighting the great work that theatres and cinemas throughout Scotland have done to make performances autism friendly. I also recognise his work on raising awareness of autism issues and his campaigning on those issues.
We are committed to doing all that we can to ensure that everyone, including people with autism, their families and carers, can maximise their potential and enjoy and participate in our rich and diverse cultural life. That means that they must be able to exercise choice, control, dignity and freedom in their daily lives, and be supported to live the life that they choose. Participation in everyday life means being able to do the same ordinary things that non-disabled people take for granted. Going to the cinema is a good example of an ordinary pleasure that can make an extraordinary difference to people with autism and other disabilities.
My colleague the Minister for Public Health launched the Scottish strategy for autism in November 2011, along with £13.4 million of funding to improve autism services and access to them. With the strategy, the vision has always been first and foremost about people—that individuals with autism are respected, accepted and valued by their communities. The strategy aims to improve the lives of people with autism. Part of that is about ensuring that people with autism feel included and have equal access to the community in which they live, including having access to the same social activities that everyone has. I know and understand from the comments that have been made that that is not the case at the moment, but that is where we want to be.
As cabinet secretary with responsibility for culture, I feel strongly about that vision of inclusion. As Patricia Ferguson mentioned, arts and culture are fundamental to our quality of life, and everyone should have the opportunity to participate in and benefit from cultural experiences. It is our job as the Government to create the conditions for meaningful access and participation and to work with the cultural sector to find innovative ways of bringing culture to more people and communities. I know from my discussions with Creative Scotland, as the national organisation that supports Scotland’s arts and cultural sectors, that it is equally committed to widening participation in the arts and creative activity. It funds a number of organisations that work with people with learning disabilities, including autism. One example is Project Ability, which offers visual arts workshops for adults, children and young people.
In his motion, Mark McDonald is quite right to praise major cinema chains such as Cineworld and Vue for the work that they have done in putting on autism-friendly screenings, but he is also right to note that such support is not limited to those chains. Art cinemas such as the Glasgow film theatre, the Mareel centre in Shetland, the Belmont cinema in Aberdeen and the Cameo cinema here in Edinburgh have also put on film screenings aimed at the autistic community. I particularly commend Glasgow film theatre, which has regular autism-friendly screenings at 12.30 pm on the first Saturday of the month.
As well as praising the cinemas, we should praise those who have supported such screenings. Organisations such as Dimensions, which was mentioned in the debate and which provides services for people with autism and learning disabilities, has done vital work with the cinemas to ensure that they provide a welcoming and friendly atmosphere, for example by screening films with more lighting and a softer soundtrack than usual.
I applaud the efforts of theatres in Scotland for their work in programming autism-friendly performances. Mark McDonald’s praise of Aberdeen Performing Arts and the Playhouse theatre here in Edinburgh is richly deserved. Tremendous work is also being done by others, including our national performing companies and the Edinburgh festivals. In December 2012, the National Theatre of Scotland launched Scotland’s first autism-friendly Christmas show, working with the National Autistic Society Scotland. That was achieved through reducing the sensory intensity of the show and including a familiarisation period before the performance. The National Theatre of Scotland continues to build on its expertise and to collaborate with others in regularly including in its programming relaxed, autism-friendly performances in venues across Scotland.
This year’s Imaginate children’s festival in May has included relaxed performances in its programme to ensure that there is an environment in which every member of the audience can be comfortable and enjoy the experience in their own way.
The work that is being done by cinemas and theatres has made a real difference not only to those with autism but, as Mark McDonald highlights in his motion and said in his speech, to their families and carers, given the social experience of enjoying performances together. One of the users of Glasgow film theatre’s monthly screenings commented:
“Thank you all so much for providing such a welcoming atmosphere, it is great for us to be able to relax and not worry about our child making a noise or upsetting other cinemagoers. It can be really difficult to do things together as a family, and it’s very important for all of us. Because of your wonderful idea, my daughter, who has severe learning difficulties and autism, could go to the cinema and bring her 10-year-old sister, her six-year-old brother, his friend and two carers who support her. We all had a great time.”
I am also glad that the improvements that we have seen in the past few years are part of a broader wave of improvements by cultural organisations to increase opportunities for participation to a wider audience. This is also an issue of audience development and new audiences and opportunities, and it should be embraced in such a fashion. Infra-red sound facilities are increasingly available in cinemas and theatres for hearing-impaired individuals, as are audio description headphones for the blind or partially sighted. However, we need to reflect that there is still more work to be done to bring cultural activities to more people, and we will continue to work with our partners in and outside Government to achieve that.
I join members in praising not just the work that theatres and cinemas around Scotland have been doing to make their performances accessible to those with autism, but also the fantastic work that they have done in enabling performances and screenings to be enjoyed by a wider and more diverse audience. I very much like the statement that was made in Aberdeen that, for too long, people with autism have had to adapt to society and it is about time that society adapted to autism.
Thank you, cabinet secretary. Perhaps next year Mark McDonald will be able to persuade everyone else on to a spacehopper.
Meeting closed at 17:43.Previous
Decision Time