Seventeenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Audio Description (AD) is a translation of images to words — the process makes visual images of the arts and media accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative, media describers convey the visual image from television and film content that is not fully accessible to a significant segment of the population (more than 31 million Americans experience significant vision loss - American Foundation for the Blind, 2019). AD also provides benefits for the sighted audience who may never fully realize all that can be perceived with the eyes—who see but who may not observe. While AD may benefit a wide audience, it is rarely considered from the beginning of the process. As a post-production activity (similar to other localization accommodations like subtitling or dubbing) many filmmakers have limited awareness of the existence of AD and even less understanding of the latest research which suggests how the access technique can be incorporated within the development of a film. The theory of inclusive design describes one common approach to accessibility. The main tenets are: 1) the designers consider as many different human abilities, limitations and needs as possible; and 2) these factors should be included from the beginning of the design process. When the inclusive design notion is applied to audio description it is no longer an “add-on” but an aesthetic innovation and an organic part of the work that can benefit all people.

Presenters

Joel Snyder
President / Founder and Senior Consultant, Audio Description Associates, LLC-Audio Description Project of the American Council of the Blind, Maryland, United States