Wiggle worms welcome!
Join us for Sensory Cinema at Malco Towne Cinema in Jonesboro or Malco Fort Smith Cinema in Fort Smith. Enjoy a movie in a comfortable, welcoming setting with:
- Moderately dimmed lighting
- Comfortable temperature
- Lowered volume
Guests are welcome to move around and be themselves. Tickets are available only on the day of the event, in the theater lobby.
Admission is $8 per person, payable by cash only. Concessions are available for purchase.
One of TCFEF’s goals is to support and include parents of children with disabilities in community events. In addition to the educational and informational training opportunities the Center provides to families statewide, TCFEF also hosts a specialized, sensory-friendly movie experience.
Sensory Cinema was developed to address a need for social outings for families living with disabilities in the Jonesboro area. The program has expanded to include other communities statewide. Compared with a typical movie experience, a Sensory Cinema movie offers dimmed lighting instead of a completely darkened theater, limited previews of upcoming movies, lowered surround-sound volume to avoid overwhelming the senses, and the best part: children and adults are not required to sit still for the movie. Everyone can experience Sensory Cinema in a way that suits their individual needs.
Although the special movie experience is geared toward families of children and adults with special needs or sensory issues, Sensory Cinema is open to anyone who would like to attend. TCFEF has entire families attend regularly; parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles all attend together and enjoy the experience with their loved ones. Sometimes, parents use the Sensory Cinema experience to help their child transition to a comfortable movie experience without sensory aids. Often, a child new to the experience cannot make it through an entire film, and that’s okay!
Thank you to all our Sensory Cinema sponsors! If your company or organization would like to sponsor or host a Sensory Cinema in your town, please email shelby.knight@tcfef.org!
Thank You to Our Sponsors
“Our son loves movies, but it’s hard to take him to see them at the theater because of the crowds and noise levels, and he can’t always sit still and be quiet through the entire film. Sensory Cinema has been such a blessing to our family because he can enjoy movies on the big screen, and we can do it in a stress-free environment for both him and me. He can see his movie and be himself, and I’m not spending one and a half to two hours on edge wondering what’s going to happen next – whether it be with him or the people sitting next to us being bothered.” – Erin Brown, Jonesboro
