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

Thank You!

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