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Here you will learn everything about Audio Description, from what is it, to samples, to who does it, to what titles are available in various media. Join our online discussion, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We are: adp.acb.org.
There are over 10,000
titles on the Master AD List Latest Additions Oldest Described Movies All Media AD Counts |
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March is Women’s History Month, and we’re proud to honor Dr. Margaret Rockwell Pfanstiehl (pronounced FAN-STEEL), a lifelong advocate for people who are blind or have low vision and a pioneer in the fields of accessibility and audio description.
Margaret, who was almost entirely blind due to retinitis pigmentosa, was on the leading edge of the accessibility movement. In the early 1970s, after earning her Ed.D. degree, she garnered support and funding around the Washington, D.C., area and founded the Metropolitan Washington Ear, an organization that continues to provide services today.
In the early 1980s, Margaret and her husband Cody developed The Ear's audio description program, the first ongoing description service in the world. Margaret and Cody, along with a core group of Ear volunteers (including Dr. Joel Snyder, the founder of the Audio Description Project) began offering description at Washington's Arena Stage and other area theaters.
Choreographer and access advocate Jess Curtis died suddenly in the San Francisco area on March 11. Not only was Jess an innovative choreographer for his company "Gravity," he actively explored ways in which his work benefited from the involvement of people who are blind or have low vision. He championed the use of audio description to make dance accessible. Read a tribute article by KQED. Photo by Sven Hagolani. (Posted by Dr. Joel Snyder on Facebook, Mar 14)
Registration is closing soon for the previously announced Audio Description Institute. Follow the link for details, or go directly to the ADI Registration Form. Registration closes April 2. (Updated Mar 9)
The Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP) is establishing the Certified Audio Description Specialist (CAUDES) certification to formally recognize individuals who are proficient in audio description best practices across a wide range of formats and venues. Areas of practice include, but are not limited to, prerecorded media, performing arts, interactive displays, live events, museums, and education. The ACVREP is inviting the public to provide comments and feedback on the draft criteria for the CAUDES certification. View the criteria documents. The 60-day public comment period will close on March 31, 2024. Written comments can be submitted to comments@acvrep.org, putting CAUDES in the subject line. Related: Audio Description Specialist Certification With Kim Charlson & Lolly Lijewski (Outlook on Western Radio). (Updated Mar 21)
What do a chef, a museum, and a very large telescope have in common? They were all recipients of a 2023 ADP Award! The ADP Awards recognize achievement in audio description in seven categories, including media, performing arts, museums, the public sector, and research and development. Nominations will be accepted from January 8 to April 21, 2024, and the winners will be announced in July at the American Council of the Blind’s Conference and Convention.
Please support the cost of this website by initiating any Amazon purchases via our
link to the right, or just remember to type this address: adp.acb.org/amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, the ACB receives a small commission from each referred sale.
What do YOU do for audio description? Do you provide services professionally? Are you a non-profit which has been providing description for local theaters for years? An independent? A theatre or museum which provides description? We'd like to hear from you. Send us a write-up about your work, and we'll consider it for publication here! Use the Webmaster link at the bottom of the page.
IF you make purchases via Amazon, you can help support the expenses associated with the Audio Description Project and this website. If you shop online by clicking our "Shop Now!" link (which is always on this main page), any and all purchases you make from Amazon will result in a commission to the ACB (American Council of the Blind), our parent organization. Purchasing videos via our DVDs page counts, as do additional purchases made while buying a DVD. PLEASE remember this and help us out! THANKS! (And of course you can also click the DONATE button at the top of every page!)
The transactional streaming service Vudu, owned by Fandango Media (which is in turn jointly owned by NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery), has changed its name to Fandango at Home. At least for now, the website is still vudu.com, which is pointed to from fandango.com (which is for movie tickets). We have changed the name in our navigation links (above). (Posted Mar 14)
Canadian podcasters at AD Banter sit down with ADP Project Coordinator Tabitha Kenlon to discuss audio description, her background, and the Audio Description Project. Listen to the podcast or read the transcript. As a reminder, all the individual podcasts about audio description and all the ones dedicated to AD are listed on our Podcasts page. (Posted Mar 11)
A second company is now offering some children's illustrated books with audio description. You can visit Cardinal Rule Press to read about the books and get links to Amazon to order. They are also listed on our Other Media page, along with Imagination Storybooks. (Posted Mar 7)
In late January 2024, a 12-year-old girl wrote and delivered the audio description for 80 users at the National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre in London for Roald Dahl’s ‘The Witches.’ Read the story and/or listen to a 16-minute RNIB podcast with describer Eleanor and National Theatre's Head of Accessibility. (Posted Mar 3)
Every month, Poster House in NYC offers Vibrant Verbal Description Tours (typically via Zoom) specifically for community members who are blind or have low vision. Their tours allow you intimate access to the items in their current shows and permanent collection. This month's tour will be on February 27th from 4-5pm: Vibrant Verbal Description Tour: The Swiss Grid. Events are free. To RSVP, visitors can email access@posterhouse.org or call 914-295-2387. For the Zoom event, you will be emailed poster images for reference as well as information about accessing Zoom the day of the virtual tour. (Posted Feb 17)
Of the over 1700 described DVDs available, the following were released this year. Here are the newest ones (last two weeks):
Please support the cost of this website by initiating any Amazon purchases via our
link to the right, or just remember to type this address: adp.acb.org/amazon.
As an Amazon Associate, the ACB receives a small commission from each referred sale.
If you are looking for a movie or TV series with description in the USA, please consult our Master AD List. It includes current cinema titles, all TV series on FCC-mandated networks, those in syndication with streaming services, plus original offerings from Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Max, Netflix, Paramount+, Peacock, Prime Video, and Tubi. All commercial DVDs ever produced with description are also listed, plus every described movie on the nine free and fee subscription streaming services, plus the transactional services: iTunes, Google Play, and Vudu. There's nothing like it anywhere else in the world!
What do YOU do for audio description? Do you provide services professionally? Are you a non-profit which has been providing description for local theaters for years? An independent? A theatre or museum which provides description? We'd like to hear from you. Send us a write-up about your work, and we'll consider it for publication here! Use the Webmaster link at the bottom of the page.
If you have the opportunity to promote audio description locally to an organization you belong to or are asked to speak to, we have developed a ONE PAGE document that you can customize as necessary for your area. It explains briefly what description opportunities are available: live theatre, TV, DVDs, and internet streaming. It then points readers to our site to learn more (like specifically what shows, movies, or TV series have description). Download your own copy for customization by right-clicking the following link: Audio Description: What's Available?
You can support the ADP website by initiating any purchases you choose to make from Amazon by clicking the link to the right. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases, which help support the cost of bringing you this website..
The Audio Description Project's website collects and provides information on audio description in all its forms: live theatre, television, movies, DVDs, streaming services, and more. Started in 2002 by AD International, funding and direction for this website has come from the American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project since 2009. Read more about this site...
Audio Description (AD) is the descriptive narration of key visual elements of live theatre, television, movies, and other media to enhance their enjoyment by consumers who are blind or have low vision. AD is the insertion of audio explanations and descriptions of the settings, characters, and action taking place in such media, when such information about these visual elements is not offered in the regular audio presentation. Read more about audio description...
Based on his doctoral thesis and teaching audio description around the world, ADP Project Founder and Senior Consultant Dr. Joel Snyder's book, The Visual Made Verbal: A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description, is available in print (English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Chinese, and Russian), for Kindle, on Bookshare, and in braille and as an audio book from NLS libraries. Read more details about Dr. Snyder's book.
Dedicated organizations around the world facilitate the offering of audio description for movies, videos, live theatre, and television. This website attempts to expose their fine work to as many interested viewers as possible. Thank you for visiting!