ACB Focus: Audio Description

20250709 1000 ADP Awards - ACB Focus Audio Description.mp3 Originally Broadcasted July 9, 2025, on ACB Media 1

20250708 1600 Audio Description and Gaming Accessibility Originally Broadcasted July 8, 2025, on ACB Media 2   Participants learned from gaming accessibility experts what the current state of access for gaming, including audio description, is for blind and low vision individuals.   Presenters: Aaron Spelker, Co-Chair ADP Gaming Sub-Committee, Natick, MA, Cory Kadlik, Assistive Technology Manager, Perkins Library, Watertown, MA, and others

20250706 1030 Audio Description Peoples Choice Awards Final Voting Kick-Off Originally Broadcasted July 6, 2025, on ACB Media 3   The nominations have been counted and it's time to vote for the best audio description of the last year. Participants experienced clips of each nominated film and series, and then cast their vote during the convention or when you get home for the two you like most. Learn more about the awards at adawardsgala.org.

20250628 1430 Audio Description a Global Happening Originally Broadcasted June 28, 2025, on ACB Media 2   Several years ago, the Audio Description Project partnered with the World Blind Union to conduct a survey which revealed that audio description exists in over 70 countries. Dr. Joel Snyder was the author of that survey. In this session, he interviewed blind consumers of audio description who offered their perspectives on audio description in their corners of the globe.   ** Co-Sponsored by ADP and IRC   Moderator: Dr. Joel Snyder   Presenters: Shakila Maharaj, South Africa, Dr. Francisco Lima, Brazil, Johanna Krins, Germany, and Jonny Marshall, Research Officer Media, Culture and Immersive Technologies Team, RNIB, UK**

20250627 1130 Audio Description and Sports Originally Broadcasted June 27, 2025, on ACB Media 3   Presenters discussed and explored how audio description for sports events is different from play-by-play on radio and what is being done in other countries with AD for sporting events.   Moderator: Clark Rachfal, Former ACB Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, Beverton, OR   Presenters: Rhys Lloyd, Studio Head, Descriptive Video Works, Vancouver, BC Canada, Sonali Rai, Senior Manager, Media, Culture and Immersive Technologies, RNIB, United Kingdom, Jerred Mace, CEO, OneCourt, Seattle, WA, Sand tasha Boyd, President/Creative Director, Q Media Productions Inc., and Founder/Executive Director, Audio Description Initiative (ADI Foundation, Inc.), Orlando, FL

20250626 1300 Audio Description Best Practices in Movie Theaters Originally Broadcasted June 26, 2025 on ACB Media 4   Did you know that most theatrical releases are audio described? Participants learned from a blind movie goer, AMC Theaters, the National Alliance of Theater Owners, and others on how to make your visit to the movie theater a successful one by enjoying the magic of cinema with the help of audio description.   Moderator: Carl Richardson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project, Boston, MA   Presenters: Alex Howard, Enthusiastic Blind Theater-Goer and Co-Creator of The Dark Room Podcast, Burbank, CA, Cinema United (formerly known as National Association of Theater Owners (Invited), AMC Theatres.

20240710 1300 Dicapta, All4Voicing Lite Originally Broadcasted July 10, 2024, on ACB Media Zoom Recorder   Attendees joined us for an engaging workshop designed to empower individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to create audio descriptions from scripts to audio using narrations using All4Voicing Lite, a one stop shop audio description platform. Whether you are an educator, student, or content creator, this workshop provided participants with the knowledge to efficiently create audio descriptions using All4Voicing Lite. Developed by Dicapta, a leader in the accessibility industry for two decades, All4Voicing Lite is an accessible platform designed to support the creation of audio description for educational content across various fields. All4Voicing Lite streamlines the process of creating audio descriptions by allowing users to perform the entire audio description process seamlessly in one place, from identifying spaces of their audiovisual content and adding descriptions to mixing the audio description narration with the original audio. Developed in part with funds from the US Department of Education, All4Voicing aims to enhance the availability of access tools in educational environments, inviting teachers, students, parents, and friends to make content accessible and inclusive for all.   Edited By: Doug Hunsinger

20240709 1600 Dicapta, All4Voicing Lite Originally Broadcasted July 9, 2024, on ACB Media Zoom Recorder   Attendees joined us for an engaging workshop designed to empower individuals with the skills and knowledge needed to create audio descriptions from scripts to audio using narrations using All4Voicing Lite, a one stop shop audio description platform. Whether you are an educator, student, or content creator, this workshop provided participants with the knowledge to efficiently create audio descriptions using All4Voicing Lite. Developed by Dicapta, a leader in the accessibility industry for two decades, All4Voicing Lite is an accessible platform designed to support the creation of audio description for educational content across various fields. All4Voicing Lite streamlines the process of creating audio descriptions by allowing users to perform the entire audio description process seamlessly in one place, from identifying spaces of their audiovisual content and adding descriptions to mixing the audio description narration with the original audio. Developed in part with funds from the US Department of Education, All4Voicing aims to enhance the availability of access tools in educational environments, inviting teachers, students, parents, and friends to make content accessible and inclusive for all.   Edited By: Doug Hunsinger

20240629 1100 Blind Film Critics, Audio Description, and More Originally Broadcasted June 29, 2024, on ACB Media 4   Attendees learned how three professional film critics who happen to be blind use audio description to do film reviews and criticism, what they think makes for good or bad audio description and more.   Edited By: Doug Hunsinger

20240628 1700 Audio Description and Artificial Intelligence - What Can and Can't it do Originally Broadcasted June 28, 2024, on ACB Media 3   Attendees joined us for a comprehensive review of how the use of artificial intelligence impacts the production of audio description-its voicing, its writing, and its editing.   Edited By: Michael Babcock

20240628 1530 Academic AD - Audio Description and Higher Education Originally Broadcasted June 28, 2024, on ACB Media 3   Panelists discussed the importance of audio description in higher education and its advantages as a learning and teaching tool.   Edited By: Michael Babcock

20240628 1230 Developments in Spanish Language Audio Description Originally Broadcasted June 28, 2024, on ACB Media 3   Panelists discussed recent progress in the creation, availability, and distribution of audio description in Spanish in the US.   Edited By: Doug Hunsinger

20240627 1530 Audio Description and Dance Originally Broadcasted June 27, 2024, on ACB Media 2   Attendees learned about Techniques and Strategies for Expanding Understanding of Types of Dances. Panelists shared firsthand and research-based strategies and techniques for providing audio description for dance performances.   Edited By: Doug Hunsinger

20240627 1230 Audio Description at Prime Video Originally Broadcasted June 27, 2024, on ACB Media 5   Over the last 24 months, Prime Video has been collaborating with customers and advocacy groups to make our content more accessible by improving the availability and quality of audio description. We continue progressing towards our north star of making high-quality Audio Description as commonly available as Captioning. In this session, we presented our learnings on this journey and the evolving mental models on quality across scripting, mixing, and voicing of Audio Description. Speakers: Christopher Nooney, Principal Product Manager, Technology, Prime Video Dr. Josh Miele, Principal Accessibility Researcher, Amazon Devices and Services Edited By: Darcy Burnard

The American Council of the Blind Announces the 2023 Audio Description Awards Gala Recipients Alexandria, Virginia – The American Council of the Blind (ACB) announces the individuals and organizations honored at the 2023 Audio Description Awards Gala held November 14. Created in 2021 to recognize achievement in audio description in entertainment and educational media, the Awards Gala featured celebrity guests, film clips, and multiple award categories. For the first time, the Gala was broadcast in English and Spanish. Hosts Marilee Talkington and Conchita Hernandez Legorreta welcomed guests from the arts, entertainment, and sports worlds to celebrate accessible media, books, and video games. Awards were presented to: Jim Stovall – AD Visionary Netflix – AD Game Changer: Innovation Naughty Dog/Sony – AD Game Changer: Gaming Imagination Storybooks – AD Game Changer: Education Hallmark Media – AD Game Changer: Popular Entertainment Paramount – AD Game Changer: 100% Access Warner Bros. Discovery – Outstanding Achievement: Live Events Semillitas – Outstanding Achievement: Spanish Media (USA) BBC iPlayer – Outstanding Achievement: International Media - Wednesday (Neflix/IDC) – People’s Choice Award (Series) - Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24/Deluxe U.S.) - People’s Choice Award (Film) Sponsors of the Awards Gala include: Amazon, Microsoft, Warner Bros Discovery, Fox Corporation, Paramount, Spectrum, VITAC, and the National Association of Broadcasters. Supporters of the Audio Description Project include Sony Corporation of America and the Walt Disney Company. The Awards Gala was broadcast with captions and audio description and in Spanish. The English AD was written by Joel Snyder (Audio Description Associates, LLC) and voiced by Ren Leach. The Spanish AD and Spanish dubbing was created by Dicapta's team; the AD script writer was Andrea Gimenez, with narration by Oscar Javier Cuesta. Captions were provided by VITAC. The Awards Gala is available on: ACB Media ACB's YouTube Channel Direct Link Peacock, courtesy NBCUniversal (subscription required; available through December 31, 2023) Visit ADAwardsGala.org for more. About the American Council of the Blind The American Council of the Blind is a national member-driven organization representing Americans who are blind or have low vision. For more than 60 years, ACB has been a leader in national, state, local, and international advocacy. With 68 affiliates, ACB strives to increase independence, security, equality of opportunity, and the quality of life for all people who are blind or have low vision. For more, visit www.acb.org.

Pre-Show to the 3rd Annual American Council of the Blind Audio Description Project Awards Gala. Aired on ACB Media immediately preceding the November 14, 2023 original airing of the ACB ADO Awards Gala. The Pre-Show is packed with information about the Gala and Audio Description. The first hour features excerpts from the ACB Media programs VisAbilities, Tuesday Topics and Sunday Edition featuring the Audio Description Project co-chairs Kim Charlson and Carl Richardson as well as Tabitha Kenlon, the ACB Media Project Coordinator.     Hour 2 of the Pre-Show is the third of the Audio Description in Conversation series hosted by Tabitha Kenlon and Roy Samuelson with a panel of 3 blind professionals with careers in Audio Description.

20230703 1600 Film Screening-One Step at a Time-A Journey of Hope, Commitment and Resiliency Originally Broadcasted July 3, 2023, on ACB Media 4   Blind Filmmaker Michael McCulloch, Houston, TX, set the stage for his documentary and answered questions after the viewing. One Step at a Time chronicles McCulloch's trek of the 26-mile Classic Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. The film premiered in February 2021 at the ReelAbilities Houston Film and Arts Festival and won the Best Cinematography Award at the Sports, Fitness and Recreation Festival in Toronto in August 2022.   Edited By:  Tim Cumings

20230624 1430 Audio Description Across the Globe Originally Broadcasted June 24, 2023, on ACB Media 5   Several years ago, ACB collaborated with the World Blind Union in a survey of audio description practice worldwide. This panel highlighted AD activity in New Zealand/Australia, South Africa, and in the UK. Moderator: Dr. Joel Snyder, ACB Audio Description Project Founder and Senior Consultant, Takoma Park, MD   Edited By:  Doug Hunsinger

20230624 1130 Audio Description for Kids Originally Broadcasted June 24, 2023, on ACB Media 5   Whether kids are relaxing with a book or movie or doing a homework assignment, audio description provides vital opportunities for engagement with the world of ideas. Panelists discussed resources to help parents and teachers integrate audio described content into the lives of their children and students. Moderators: Carl Richardson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project, Brighton, MA Dr. Tabitha Kenlon, ACB Audio Description Project Coordinator, Alexandria, VA   Edited By:  Janet Ingber

20230623 1600 AD Across the Arts Originally Broadcasted June 23, 2023, on ACB Media 4   While film and TV might be the most well-known audio described art form, many arts and entertainment venues use AD as well. Live theatre and dance performances, museums, parks, and even the circus provide AD to increase accessibility. Panelists shared some of the challenges and the excitement of bringing all the arts to life for people who are blind or have low vision. Moderator: Dr. Tabitha Kenlon, ACB Audio Description Project Coordinator, Alexandria, VA   Edited By:  Michael Babcock