[adp-list] Description Quality

Thu Jun 7 17:23:03 EDT 2012

for live theatre?

margaret hardy
katiemags at aol.com

-----Original Message-----
From: fred olver <goodfolks at charter.net>
To: ACB Audio Description Project Discussion List <adp-list at acb.org>
Sent: Thu, Jun 7, 2012 1:38 pm
Subject: Re: [adp-list] Description Quality

Someone ought to develop an app so Iphone users can receive audio 
description with their phones or Ipods/ipads.

Fred Olver

----- Original Message -----

From:   Diane DiSalvo

To: adp-list at acb.org

Sent: Thursday, June 07, 2012 2:32   PM

Subject: Re: [adp-list] Description   Quality

Brilliantly stated, as usual, Rick.  What you have   outlined here is 
and has always been the goal of AudioVision, Inc.  That   is to say the 
providing of "quality description."  As Margaret said,   we were able 
to bring in blind patrons to review our process back in the "old   
days" and it was  tremendously beneficial in creating the formula we   
continue to operate with today.  I too believe that this is the most   
important issue concerning the continued improvement and ultimate 
success   of audio description.  If those of us working in this field 
cannot ensure   the quality of what we produce, we are merely spinning 
our wheels and doing   more of a disservice to those we profess to 
serve.

Thank you   so much for your "unique perspective." 

Diane DiSalvo
Program Director
AudioVision, Inc.

------------------------------------------------------------
  From: rjboggs at socal.rr.com
Date: Thu, 7 Jun 2012 11:24:27 -0700
To:   adp-list at acb.org
Subject: [adp-list] Description Quality

Hello   all,
I'd like to share my somewhat unique perspective with you, in   
particular with those blind consumers on the list here.  I say unique,  
  because perhaps sadly, I happen to be the only totally blind 
professional   producer of video description and the only producer of 
video description to   hire blind professionals to review the 
description work we do at my company.    So, I am certainly a consumer. 
 I am also a professional audio   engineer and voice over artist with a 
resume of more than 25 years in those   fields of work.

There are so many issues concerning description, and   many more 
studies need to be conducted.  Description consumers are so   unaware 
of description in general, where to find it, how it is produced, what   
is and is not possible to achieve through description, how to access it 
when   it is offered, how to know when and where it is offered, and on 
and on. People   can point to the limited studies that have been 
attempted thus far.  We   know that the AFB study from the late 1990s 
suggested great disparity between   blind consumers of description and 
their opinions about what they liked and   what they wanted.  In my own 
organization and experience  producing   description, we have 
continuously attempted to collect as much data as   possible about 
consumer opinions related to description style and content.    I have 
carefully analyzed all of the published "standards" for   description 
as well.  It seems there are some generally agreed upon   principles. 
 Everything else seems to be stylistic choices.    

I am concerned that the technology related to description   production 
and delivery is already and will continue to be far ahead of the   
effort to learn answers to some critical questions that could best 
ensure that   blind consumers of description are served effectively. 
 The "quality" of   description will forever be an arguable topic with 
various schools of thought   advocating their own viewpoints.  To 
imagine that there might ever be an   agreed upon method by which we 
can measure the quality of description might be   a very lofty idea and 
may be well out of reach in reality.  However, the   concern about the 
rising quantity of description becoming a priority that   completely 
blots out any effort to ensure the quality of description offered   is 
a very valid concern.  Consumers generally have no idea about emerging  
  technology that will soon make the production and delivery of 
description very   easy for anyone to do.  While this will surely 
increase exponentially the   quantity of description available, it will 
also surely dramatically affect the   style or quality of description 
available as well. 

The real   question here is whether or not the current "leadership" or 
leading producers   of description will make any attempt to address 
this issue, or will they   simply be satisfied to get their share of 
the growing pie of description work   in the marketplace?  Anytime 
non-disabled individuals provide a "service"   intended to benefit 
people with disabilities, there is a potential for a gap   in integrity 
or accountability.  Because the service being sold or   purchased feels 
like a program to benefit the public, there is possibly a   built-in 
assumption by consumers of the service and the onlooking public that   
those providing the service are serving the disabled population in the 
most   effective way possible and that doing so is in fact the goal of 
those   providing the service.  That is a natural dynamic when 
non-disabled   people design, operate, and deliver services for 
disabled   populations.

So, I assert that the best way to address the issue of the   "quality" 
of description, whatever that might mean, is to ensure that blind   
professionals are reviewing description, are involved in producing   
description, and that, in general, those producing description in any 
form   ought to make every effort to be directly accountable to the 
consumers they   serve.  While this may not result in any particular 
consistency in style   or content of description, it will be the only 
measurable means to determine   that every effort has been made to 
serve the consumer; that is, let the   consumer determine how they are 
served.

All sorts of arguments can be   made by producers of description as to 
why this is not practical, but I run   perhaps the smallest of the very 
active description companies who regularly   deliver description to 
government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and even   television, 
DVD, and movie cinemas, and I have been able to ensure that every   
program is reviewed by professionals who are also blind consumers.    

Since consumers know very little about the service, as I already   
pointed out, they are likely to accept any idea that sounds reasonable 
that   might explain why a description producer does not include any 
blind   professional review process.  I would suggest that no other 
producer of   description would likely understand how they might 
incorporate some form of   review by blind professionals, since they 
have no experience doing it.    As a business person, I definitely 
appreciate the perceived burden that   such accountability might seem 
to be.  Purely from a business standpoint,   any added expense to the 
production process would be a cost that must be   minimized in order to 
achieve maximum profitability.  Indeed, if blind   consumers allow cost 
and profit margin to be the primary or sole   considerations for 
producers, then that will remain a legitimate approach to   producing 
description.  However, if the forces in the marketplace were to   
shift, and an emphasis on some measure of quality, such as review by a 
blind   professional, were to become a major concern for buyers of 
description who   might hear lots of feedback from consumers of 
description, that might be a   "game changer" forgive the over-used pop 
phrase.  If consumers were to   apply enough pressure through public 
forums like social media, email   petitions, and phone calls and 
letters to government agencies that fund   description, networks that 
broadcast description, and theaters, museums, and   other venues that 
offer description, asking, demanding, to know if blind   professionals 
reviewed the description being offered, then, suddenly, it makes   more 
sense for a producer to incorporate such accountability, even if it 
does   put a small bend in the bottom line.  Consumers most often think 
like   consumers, but if blind consumers want to have any impact on the 
kind of   description they get in the near future, they really will 
have to think more   like business people.

Do we who produce description need to learn much   more about what our 
description consumers want? Yes, we do. However, if   finding those 
answers takes longer than the roll out of new technology that   will 
flood the market with description that may not even really serve   
consumers, then studies may become an irrelevant afterthought.  Blind   
consumers are still in a position to have an impact before that horse 
leaves   the barn.  Waiting until they are completely unhappy with what 
passes for   most description will be too late to do much about it.

So, that is my   somewhat unique perspective on what I consider to be 
the most important topic   or issue concerning description today.

I certainly cannot be accused of   trying to be popular.

Rick Boggs

www.audioeyesllc.com
_______________________________________________   adp-list mailing list 
adp-list at acb.org   http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/adp-list

------------------------------------------------------------

_______________________________________________
adp-list mailing   list
adp-list at acb.org
http://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/adp-list

_______________________________________________adp-list mailing 
listadp-list at acb.orghttp://www.acb.org/mailman/listinfo/adp-list