Abstract
Audio Description (AD) makes the visual images of media and the arts accessible for people who are blind or have low vision. Using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative, describers observe, select, and then succinctly and vividly use language to convey the visual image from television and film that is not fully accessible to a segment of the population—the American Foundation for the Blind notes that 32 million Americans are blind or “have difficulty seeing even with correction”. In the United States, the implementation of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act has spawned a virtual cottage industry for the development of description for broadcast television and other media. This presentation will demonstrate how AD provides access to media and the arts for people who are blind. Cultural activities are an important element of our society, often expressing values, trends, fads, historical perspectives, or future directions. People who are blind or visually impaired want and need to be a part of society in all its aspects. Audio description – voiced in pauses between lines of dialogue or critical sound elements – provides the means for blind or visually impaired people to have full and equal participation in cultural life. In the United States the principal constituency for audio description has an unemployment rate of about 70%. With more meaningful access to our culture, people become more engaged with society and more engaging individuals—thus, more employable.
Presenters
Joel SnyderPresident / Founder and Senior Consultant, Audio Description Associates, LLC-Audio Description Project of the American Council of the Blind, Maryland, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
AUDIO DESCRIPTION,ARTS ACCESS,BLINDNESS
