The Audio Description Project
An Initiative of the American Council of the Blind
Formerly AD International
This page contains selected news items previously featured on our main page, starting in late 2010.
Audio Described White House Tour
The White House now offers an audio tour, which features welcoming remarks from Mrs. Obama followed by a room-by-room audio description of the highlights and features of the White House. The audio tour must be requested at the time the tour reservation is made through a member of Congress, at least 21 days in advance. Read the Press Release! (Updated Feb 7)
Video Description Research and Development Center
The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) investigates innovative technologies and techniques for making online video more accessible to blind and visually-impaired students and consumers. Through collaboration with a broad array of partners and stakeholders in the Description Leadership Network (DLN), they are developing advanced video annotation methods for use in a wide variety of educational settings, as well as helping educators and other description providers make better use of the tools already available. Read more about the VDRDC and their projects! (Posted Dec 18)
Cinemark Installing AD Equipment USA-Wide
Cinemark, one of the largest motion picture theater chains, recently announced that it is installing audio description equipment in ALL of its cinemas, with a completion date of mid-2013. California cinemas have already been so-equipped. Donna Pomerantz, President of the California Council of the Blind, said: "We are pleased with Cinemark's support for audio description. This national initiative makes first-run movies available to millions of patrons who are blind and visually impaired. They deserve to participate in this quintessential American experience." More info. (Posted Oct 3)
The Projected Image: A History of Disability in Film
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will dedicate the month of October to exploring the ways people with disabilities have been portrayed in film. The special month-long exploration will air Tuesdays in October, beginning Oct. 2 at 8 p.m. (ET). All twenty-one classic films shown will be audio described. Read the announcement and view the schedule. (Posted Sept 25)
Sign a Petition Asking Movie Studios to
Provide AD Tracks for ALL their Movies
Have YOU signed yet?
A lady named Hillary Kleck has created a petition to be sent to eleven major movie studios asking them to provide audio description tracks on ALL their movie releases. While some studios like Sony and Universal have been pretty good about this, others like Warner Brothers have been terrible, and no studio describes all their releases. Hillary is concerned mostly about the impact on blind children, but the issue affects everyone with vision impairment, which may include many of us with "normal" vision sooner or later.
Regardless of your own vision situation, if you agree with this cause, please read and sign the petition. Thanks! (Updated Aug 14)
2012 Winners of ADP Achievement Awards
The winners of the 2012 Achievement Awards for Audio Description are:
Reference: Press Release.
Video Description Restarts
July 1, 2012 was the date for the FCC to be able to once again mandate video description for the top TV networks. Many shows now have description tracks, but the problem remains how to access the description. We discuss the options on our Television page, and we are reporting specific user experiences as we receive them. An interested party has also kindly provided us a link to a monthly listing he has compiled of described shows by time and network.
Users are asking questions and reporting suggestions on our online Discussion List. If you have cable or satellite TV boxes, you should also contact your provider and insist that they help you through this transition! (This will be more successful if you are in one of the top 25 TV markets...) If you are unsuccessful, contact the FCC via the method described on their own encyclopedia page, which we link to on the Television page. (Updated July 10)
Universal's Commitment to AD on Rental DVDs is Now Effective (Starting With "American Reunion")
In response to a complaint from the Audio Description Project, Universal Pictures has agreed to include audio description tracks on rental DVDs starting in mid-July when they are also available on retail DVDs. Specifically, Universal said: "DVS will be added to all new-to-market DVD and Blu-ray rental releases that are specifically Universal Pictures productions." Up until now, the AD tracks were omitted from rental copies, which has been a huge source of irritation and disappointment to blind and low vision renters. (Updated July 17)
Whitney Museum Verbal Description and Touch Tours
As the preeminent institution devoted to the art of the United States, the Whitney Museum of American Art presents the full range of twentieth-century and contemporary American art, with a special focus on works by living artists.
Explore the Whitney's permanent collection or special exhibitions with a highly skilled museum educator trained to provide vivid, detailed description of the works on display. Visitors are also able to experience a selection of works through touch. Whitney Verbal Description and Touch Tours provide an opportunity for visitors who are blind or have low vision to experience the richness and diversity of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American art. These ninety minute tours are free and are held monthly as well as by request with three weeks advance notice. To place a request, inquire about the next scheduled tour, or sign up for our email list, please contact Whitney at accessfeedback@whitney.org or (212) 570-7789. The Whitney Museum is located at 945 Madison Avenue at 75th Street. (Posted June 26)
Audio Description Institute: Describer Training
Wow -- 25 Attendees!
One of the rare opportunities to learn how to be an audio describer arises in July as part of the ACB's Annual Conference in Louisville, KY. The Audio Description Institute will be taught by Joel Snyder, who has taught audio description all over the world (most recently in Iceland!). Read all about the Institute and join Joel this July in Louisville. Alternatively, there is another opportunity for training at the LEAD Conference in Boston in August. (Updated July 10)
Young Described Film Critic Contest
Once again we are soliciting entries for the Young Described Film Critic Contest, and we rely on YOU to find those young critics and let them know about the contest!
Young people with visual impairments ages 7 to 18 can enter in 3 age categories and win prizes. They simply type or record their review of any described movie. (How about one of the described DVDs to the right???) Complete instructions can be viewed and printed on our site, and entries can be made online at the Listening Is Learning website. Go find those young folks NOW! The deadline for entries is June 8. Hurry! (Updated June 5)
Art Never Seen
An art gallery in Poland has shown an exhibition featuring only audio description of artworks. The exhibition is intended to reveal how visual art is made accessible for people who are blind or vision impaired and celebrate audio description as an art form in its own right. Visitors to the gallery find only headphones hanging on the wall! Read more ... and watch a video ... (Posted May 15)
Free Described Dance Event in DC May 19-20
The Audio Description Project has arranged for free tickets and limited free transportation for vision-impaired patrons and one guest of the renowned AXIS Dance Company's performances on May 19th and 20th in Washington DC. Read more ... (Posted Apr 26)
All AMC Movie Theaters in Illinois to Get AD
In a settlement reached on April 4th with the Attorney General, AMC Theatres has agreed to supply captioning services and audio description technology at all of its theaters by 2014. Right now only 10 of the 246 theaters offer AD. Read more in the Chicago Tribune. (Posted Apr 10)
Access Services Video
Audio describer Ellen LaVan Schindler was recently interviewed along with the Broward Center's guest services director Garry Novick and open captioner Lew Balaban for an "On Stage With Iris Acker" video on the subject of Access Services. You can view the video online. (Posted Mar 27)
Audio Description at London's Paralympic Ceremonies
Audio commentary for partially sighted and blind people at the Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies will be available for the first time in 2012. The Paralympics are in London, starting in late August. Audio description is planned to be available at all paralympic and olympic sporting events, according to an article from the BBC. (Posted Mar 14)
Accessible Media Inc. (Canada)
Brian Perdue, Director, Programming, TACtv
We used to operate as the National Broadcasting Reading Service, and one of our divisions was description provider Audio Vision Canada (AVC). We have rebranded the company to Accessible Media Inc. and merged AVC into a division of The Accessible Channel (TACtv).
We just completed our first original series - Accessibility In Action - a 13 half-hour series that inspires and informs about people living with disabilities. On December 4 we premiered a new original documentary, A Whole New Light, that looks at the medical and scientific progress and research going on in the area of vision loss here in Canada.
What makes this unique is that our Description Producers worked closely with the Producer of the program so that all the Described Video has been integrated and imbedded into the production of the program. We did not use a 'third' voice, and no description was added after the fact. Either through the Narrator, or how questions were asked and/or directing how Interviewees answered, all description is completely within the program.
We also have been working with the CBC to provide 'LIVE' description on several events. The specific shows air on CBC with DV through the secondary audio channel (SAP) and with open description simultaneously on The Accessible Channel. To date we have done the following 'live':
We are also planning to do the ISU Grand Prix Figure Skating Finals from Quebec City on Dec 11th. (Posted Dec 6)
Seeing The Arts With Your Ears:
The Fundamentals Of Audio Description
Americans for the Arts, the national arts service organization, has posted an article by Joel Snyder on the fundamentals of audio description. Click the image below to read the article. (Posted Aug 24)
VDRDC: Developing 21st Century Tools for a New Age of Video Accessibility
The Smith-Kettlewell Video Description Research and Development Center (VDRDC) investigates innovative technologies and techniques for making online video more accessible to blind and visually-impaired students and consumers. Through collaboration with a broad array of partners and stakeholders in the Description Leadership Network, they are developing advanced video annotation methods for use in a wide variety of educational settings, as well as helping educators and other description providers make better use of the tools already available.
For more information, visit Smith-Kettlewell's VDRDC website for the latest research and development efforts in the field of video description: www.vdrdc.org.
Special Halloween Broadcast
Monday,
October 31 is Halloween 2011! Celebrate the horrific holiday with ACB
Radio as the web-based radio station streams the full movie
Carnival of Souls, completely audio described! ACB Radio
and ACB's Audio Description Project continues its collaboration with VITAC,
the nation's largest captioning company, and a Halloween tradition of
presenting accessible horror classics.
The 1963 film was not popular with critics or audiences on release, but has
since become a cult classic, inspiring the likes of George Romero (director
of last year's described Halloween movie: Night of the Living Dead)
and David Lynch. Enjoy this creepy, atmospheric nightmare and have a
Happy Haunted Halloween! Tune in at 8:00 pm EDT at
www.acbradio.org/world for all of the film's spooky effects
described in full by ACB's own Audio Description Project. Listen in
for the scare of your life!
Produced in collaboration with VITAC, it's also available for free at
VITAC's website - vitac.com - and on VITAC's YouTube channel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaHSo0O53J8. (Posted Oct 27)
FCC Reinstates Video Description
On August 25, the FCC voted unanimously to reinstate video description effective July 1, 2012. One of the reasons for choosing this date was to make it fully in effect at the beginning of fall 2012 series. Read Commissioner Clyburn's statement or additional information at COAT. (Posted August 25)
Video
Interview With Arts Access Inc.
Raleigh, NC
Arts Access has been "Making the Arts Accessible to People With Disabilities" in the Triangle area of NC since 1982. In the early 90s they began offering audio description of live theatre. Recently, they were featured on a local Public Broadcasting Television program called NC Now. You can view the 8-minute story (first in the program), which features interviews with Arts Access, a describer, a patron, and a local theatre company manager.
Arts Access has been on a road to expansion to take their base mission statewide. Additional funding in the past two years has allowed them to become a statewide service organization which provides training to arts venues on disability awareness as well being a resource for their efforts to become accessible. A newly revised website has links to various resources as well as information about audio description services. (Posted July 19)
2011 Conference Award Winners
The Audio Description Project and the Described and Captioned Media Program announce the 2011 winners of Audio Description Awards and the Young Described Film Critic Conference. Congratulations to:
Read all the details in the Press Release. (Posted July 20)
Broadway Accessibility/Audience Expansion Initiative
That's what Alliance for Inclusion in the Arts calls their initiative to open up more Broadway shows to Deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons and blind and low-vision audience members than ever before through enhanced accessibility services and innovative technology. For those patrons with vision problems, the initiative is called D-Scriptive -- prepackaged audio description available at every show of select Broadway performances. Read more about the initiative from the Alliance, or read a Wall Street Journal article. The first D-Scriptive show was Catch Me If You Can on June 8th at the Neil Simon Theatre on W 52nd Street. Three other shows follow later.
UPDATE: Read Technology Helps Blind to See a Broadway Show (Updated July 11)
ACB Reply Comments to FCC Re Video Description
Eric Bridges of the ACB recently submitted his reply comments to the FCC regarding Video Description. His comments specifically reflect the ACB'd view of recent industry comments. Read the reply comments. (Posted June 8)
Bringing Theater to the Blind
Ellen LaVan Schindler, a graduate from the 2010 ADI training, was recently featured in a Miami Herald article entitled, "Bringing theater to the blind." The article is a good reminder of how valuable audio description is to those who need it! (Updated April 27)
Blindspot: Listening Awareness Month
To honor "Listening Awareness Month" [in March], our friends at the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) in conjunction with the American Council of the Blind have made a film available on YouTube called Blindspot. It's an intimate portrait of two young blind New Yorkers who embrace the city of New York on a daily basis, and, of course, the film is captioned and audio described! Children in grades 5-12 (plus adults) should enjoy this video. (Posted March 21)
FCC Adopts Two Key Provisions
The FCC has adopted two key provisions of the newly enacted 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act without the need for discussion:
At the same time, FCC Commissioner Michael Copps has praised CBS, FOX, PBS, TCM, and TNT for having voluntarily continued producing some shows with description even after the FCC's mandate was overturned in 2002. (Updated March 4)
Response to DOJ Notice of Proposed Rule Making Regarding "Movie Captioning and Video Description"
You can read comments made by both the American Council of the Blind and the project director for the Audio Description Project, Joel Snyder, at this link to our forum archive: Audio Description Comments. You'll notice that Joel, like many of us, objects to the term "Video Description," although the government is unlikely to change the established terminology. (Posted Jan 27)
Audio Description Seminar Planned
A 2-day Advanced Research
Seminar on Audio Description
(ARSAD) will be held at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
starting March 24, 2011.
The objective is "to bring together practitioners and researchers in order
to map the current status of Audio Description (AD) profession and research"
via six panels covering Merging Modalities; AD Sound and Delivery; Theoretical
Approaches to AD; AD in Practice: Theatre, Opera, Cinema; Perception/Reception;
Linguistic and Cultural Aspects. For more information, visit
http://jornades.uab.cat/arsad/.
(Updated March 4, 2011)
iPhone Application to Find Described Movies
Captionfish now offers a FREE iPhone application which will search for audio described (and/or captioned) first run movies near you. It also offers (captioned but not described) previews of those movies. Search for Captionfish in the Apps Store. (Posted Dec 15)
Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee Formed
On December 7, 2010, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the establishment and appointment of members of the Video Programming and Emergency Access Advisory Committee, an advisory committee required by the Twenty-first Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010.
Four work groups will cover 1) Internet protocol based closed captioning; 2) Pass through of closed captioning and video description; 3) Emergency information; and 4) Accessibility of user interfaces, apparatus functions, on-screen text menus, and video programming guides and menus provided on navigational devices. The first committee must report within six months, but the others have until April 2012.
Read the Announcement and Membership List. (Posted 12/8/10)
President Obama Signs "Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act"!!!
Friday, October 8th, the President signed the "Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act," finally bringing to a close the eight year battle to restore the FCC's authority to mandate video description, now updated with many new facets to include, for example, accessible video equipment and programming via the Internet. Click the photo to view the signing, or Read a Transcript of the Signing.
The provisions of the bill don't mandate video description until October 2011. There are many steps left to make description available on TVs and cable boxes. For more details, visit our Television page.
