A TIFF in review 2026
AccessTO was once again invited to attend TIFF this past September. Once again this is a post in review. There is so much coverage that goes out live for many outlets that I decide there is no need to compete with them during the festival.
The TIFF website has quite extensive information about their policies and accessibility features of the venues that are used during the festival found here Accessibility at TIFF. This remains a wonderful resource and I’m so glad it is exists.
The information provided on each venue is quite good and gives you a quick reference with details like where to locate wheelchair accessible seating and washrooms. Unfortunately, some information like door width measurements is missing. This could be key information for some individuals, for example the door to the ‘accessible’ washroom at the Royal Alexandra Theater is very narrow and will not work for everyone.
You can also use the accessibility drop down menu on the listing of films being shown to pick a feature that you require. This will show a list of screenings where those features are available.
Most of the screenings I saw this year were at the TIFF Lightbox or Scotia Bank theaters. Once inside these locations accessibility for me in my manual wheelchair was generally quite good. This year I found that the gender markers on the washrooms on the second floor have been removed and all more welcoming to all. This shows to me that TIFF as an organization is really trying.
This year I noticed several volunteers who specifically had blue shirts who seemed to be around to help with anyone accessibility or accommodation needs. It was really nice to see them making a point of showing their support and making it a welcoming environment.
I write this each year, but the sidewalk along both sides of John Street between King and Adelaide Streets remains in terrible condition. Not only is it very narrow, but it’s broken up and uneven in a lot of areas. This makes navigating it honestly dangerous at times. This issue lies with the City of Toronto, though given the massive redevelopment happening in the area the sidewalk itself will remain a low priority until future developments are completed I believe.
TIFF is a wonderful festival that ends up being a highlight of the year for me. It’s unfortunate that there are physical barriers in the urban landscape that cause access issues around their venues. Though some of these issues are outside of the control of the TIFF organizers, I believe they should use their influence to push the city to fix these issues to improve access to their event.
So what did I personally see at TIFF this year. Amazingly enough this year there were several films that featured topic or stories for the disabled community. Including the opening film Being Heumann. To have this film open the festival, with it’s mostly disabled cast and all the photos and celebration that surrounded that was truly something special. Never have I see so many wheelchair users on a red carpet before at once.
Being Heumann
Being Heumann is an upcoming historical drama about the disability rights activist Judy Heumann played by the outstanding Ruth Madeley. Taking place in 1977 showing the fight that Judy and her community took to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare played by Mark Ruffalo when he refused to sign Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Which was the first national civil rights legislation designed to provide protections for people with disabilities.
Being Heumann is mainstream and crowed pleasing. Which in this case I think is probably what it has to be to reach the an audience that can learn from it. Kind of like Judy did in 1977 this movie is doing what it needs to to get noticed and in front of the right people.
I think it's all worth it for an entertain and reasonably insightful look into these events and the realities that many of the people taking place in the protests were dealing with.
Best of all is seeing the cast photos on the red carpet. Never before has TIFF seen so many wheelchair users on one red carpet I'm sure.
MAN IN MOTION: THE RICK HANSEN STORY
The first time I meet Rick was in 1986 during his Man in Motion tour. I was too young to truly remember this outside of the existing photo. I then meet Rick again in 2011 during the fundraising event for the 25th anniversary of his tour. So getting to go to the first screening of this film was something special.
The film is an in-depth view of the tour that many have not gotten to see before. The film includes original interviews, historic footage that has not been seen before and personal audio recordings that Rick made while on the road that he never originally planned to be public. It's a fascinating and raw look at the realities of what it took to make this tour happen and the tole it took on Rick and his team.
It's wonderful that all this material has made it into an impactful film that now anyone can see. Even though this event happened 40 years ago it is amazing how it can still impact people today. This was clear from the reception Rick got in the after film Q&A as well as when I talked to people after the film.
- Juliet