By Beth Lederer

San Francisco Recreation and Park’s Therapeutic Recreation and Inclusion Services division hosted its first sensory-friendly movie on Nov. 4 at the Balboa Theater in the Outer Richmond for children, teens and young adults who signed up for Therapeutic Recreation Family Day.

The Therapeutic division rented out the entire Balboa Theater for a private showing for those with disabilities and their families. A free screening of Disney’s animated “Strange World” was presented in a stress-free and relaxing atmosphere with lights dimmed, lowered sound and large subtitles.

It’s hard to imagine having your child never having had the magical movie experience of watching an animated Walt Disney movie, ordering popcorn and drinks, and laughing with their friends at a movie theater. What is usually a rite of passage for most children is often not the reality of many families with members with disabilities because of their loved ones’ atypical behaviors. This was the first time in a movie theater for some of the attendees.

Dalia Guimaraes and her daughter Bianca were among the attendees.

“Bianca has never been to a movie theater, she doesn’t usually sit through movies, but she loves the inclusion program and the popcorn,” Guimaraes said.

Jessica Huey, acting recreation coordinator, said funds were used from a grant the department was awarded to rent out the theater. In the future, Huey is interested in exploring an ongoing partnership with the Balboa Theater to keep hosting more sensory-friendly movies.

“The Balboa Theater was chosen because it was already an approved vendor with SF Rec. and Park and the theater was available for the date/time and for larger capacity,” Huey said.

“We at CinemaSF are always excited to participate in neighborhood and community events, whether it’s partnering with SF Rec. and Park, the YMCA, Western Neighborhoods Project, Surfrider Foundation or other groups we have partnered with in the past,” said owner Adam Bergeron. “It is so wonderful to have these venues (The Balboa and 4 Star theaters) that the community can access for all forms of celebrations, fundraisers, memorials, birthdays and specialty groups.”

Sensory-friendly events are becoming more popular. Last year, the American Conservatory Theater presented “A Christmas Carol” and the San Francisco Ballet performed “The Nutcracker” to the disability community. Both theaters have sensory-friendly events already planned for this holiday season.

Balboa Theater employee Chris Rama and General Manager Jody Washington expressed gratitude to have the chance to work the event. Rama, who moved to San Francisco from Las Vegas, wasn’t aware of a disability community here in the City. Rama grew up with a cousin, now 23 years old, with Down Syndrome. They were very close. Rama showed interest in volunteering with the Therapeutic division upon being introduced to the disability community at the movie screening.

“The event was impactful for families who attended and facilitated a need,” Washington said. “For them to feel comfortable and safe to enjoy a movie was great. Then to find out that for some of them it was their first time being able to do so made Chris and me feel honored to be part of the event.”

Jinyou Hong and her mother Shan Hong attended the performance with their service dog. This was also Jinyou’s first time at a movie theater. She had a positive experience watching “Strange World.” There were moments that were challenging, some screaming, though Shan Hong is hoping for more inclusive movie experiences to make it more enjoyable for everyone.

“While Jinyou enjoys Disney movies like ‘Inside Out’ and ‘Zootopia’ at home, she tends to get excited and vocal during them. This is the reason we avoided movie theaters so far to avoid any disruptions for others.” said Shan Hong.

Having this sensory-friendly performance, parents are able to relax more and not worry about their child ruining the event for other patrons at the theater.

Karen Wilsey brought her son Bennett to the private viewing and likes the idea of a sensory-friendly movie.

“Bennett has some habits of self-talk and pacing,” Wilsey said.

Andy Phan attended the screening with his father An Phan. Phan said his son does well in movie theaters and he loves to sing along with Disney movies, though he is afraid of action movies. Andy also loves the idea of being with friends and watching the movie together.

“Andy can participate without worrying about other people not accepting him. When he makes a little bit of noise, people can’t stand it,” Phan said.

Runli Xu spoke on behalf of her daughter Arolyn Feng. Feng was the second person to show up and won a free popcorn and soda.

“It helps my daughter get a sense of friendship and socialization. We’re working on her social skills,” Xu said. For Xu, it is a worry-free event not having to be too concerned whether her daughter makes a noise that will bother others.

The event started at 10 a.m. in the theater lobby in a non-stress setting. The Balboa is a vintage movie theater with lots of memorabilia from Playland.

According to Jonathan Lee, recreation specialist, 13 families showed up with about 30 attendees. The attendees had time to socialize, order their items from the concession stand, and eat popcorn before entering the movie theater as a group at 10:45 a.m.

Once the whole group entered the theater, Huey thanked everyone for coming, thanked Lee for his diligence putting the event together. She encouraged the families to spread the word about family therapeutic day and reminded them about the accommodations offered at the sensory-friendly movie.

“I wanted to create a safe environment, a family-friendly movie, and provide a new experience for families to come together,” Lee said.

A toddler explored up and down the aisles, there was some low-level talking, shouts of excitement, attendees getting up and down and pacing, which is all acceptable at a sensory-friendly movie.

Brian Pan, a volunteer at the event, is a physical education teacher at Phillip Burton High School. He is attending SF State’s master program for Kinesiology. Pan liked the inclusion that was presented in “Strange World.” The Disney movie shows acceptance and a diversity of characters through an interracial family, sexual orientation, relationships and the disability of the three-legged dog. For Pan, all of this is relatable to the diversity and acceptance he sees through the Therapeutic division.

The event ended off with a group photo outside the theater.

“The goal is to keep improving access to recreation/leisure activities for people with disabilities and families through our own programs, partnerships and collaborations,” Huey said.

Learn more at sfrecpark.org/1249/Therapeutic-Recreation.