Audio Description for Media and Live Performance
Martin WildeAudio Description Writer and Voicer
Chicago Digital Accessibility and Inclusive Design MeetupJuly 21, 2015
Audio Description
• Definition• Names / Logos
• Audience
• Why?
Bigger Picture• Translation• Rules• Live Performance Use Cases
– Theatre– Dance– Corporate Functions– Social Gatherings– Conferences– Lectures / Webinars– Architectural Tours
Bigger Picture (cont’d)
• Media Use Cases– TV Shows– Movies– Cultural Institutions
• Art Exhibits • Natural History Museums• Science Museums• Botanical Gardens
– National Park Sites– Local Park sites– Kiosks– Information panels
• Personal Describer
Audio Description Standards
• Describe what you see• Be objective• Dialog is paramount• Trust listener comprehension• Don’t censor• Use consistent language• Race, ethnicity and nationality• Listeners’ perspective
DEMOS
Other Topics
• Universal Design• Regulatory– Section 508– ADA– 21st Century Communications and Video
Accessibility Act (CVAA)• Activities– ADA25Chicago– Meetups
Resources• Standards for Audio Description
– http://www.audiodescriptioncoalition.org/index.html• Audio Description for People with Vision Loss – Performing Arts Guide
– http://www.kennedy-center.org/accessibility/education/lead/2013KC_AudioDescripGuide.pdf
• FCC Consumer Guide to the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA)– https://transition.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/CVAA-access-act.pdf
• Facts and Figures on Adults with Vision Loss– http://www.afb.org/info/blindness-statistics/adults/facts-and-figures/235#
demographics• CDC National Health Interview Survey
– http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
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