Audio Description Project
Audio Description Project
IntroductionSince 2016, the Audio Description Project (ADP) has held an annual Conference in conjunction with the ACB Convention. In 2020 and 2021, the ADP Conferences were entirely virtual, and in 2022-23, sessions were held virtually, in-person, and in hybrid format. Panels offer a range of topics related to audio description, including scholarly research, national parks, streaming services, and even the circus. (Last Updated May 1)
The 2024 ACB Convention will be held in two parts this year. The first part is conducted via Zoom, and the second part will have in-person and hybrid sessions at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront Hotel in Jacksonville, Florida. The ADP Conference will be held June 27-29. To be informed of Convention details, send a blank email to acbconvention+subscribe@acblists.org (address corrected May 1!).
Sponsor Presentation: Audio Description at Prime Video
Thursday, June 27 -- 12:30 PM-1:45 PM ET
Over the last two years, Prime Video has been working with customers and advocacy groups to make our content more accessible by improving the availability and quality of audio descriptions. We continue progressing towards our north star of making high-quality audio description as commonly available as captioning. In this session, we will present our learnings on this journey and the evolving mental models on quality across scripting, mixing, and voicing of audio description.
Presenters: Christopher Nooney, Principal Product Manager, Technology, Prime Video; and Josh Miele, PhD, Principal Accessibility Researcher, Amazon Devices & Services
Thursday, June 27 – 2:00-3:15 PM ET
Writing Image Description for Graphic Novels and Other Highly Visual Content
Staff from the National Library Service for the Blind & Print Disabled (NLS) Media Lab will discuss the evolution of their approach to writing image descriptions of graphic novels and picture books, presenting challenges they have faced and the best practices they have developed.
Moderator: Celeste Lawson, Head, Media Lab, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS), Washington, DC
Presenters: Michael Russotto, Narrator; Laura Giannarelli, Narrator; Joy Jones, Narrator; Marie Garnett, Narrator; Dawn Ursula, Narrator; and Ryan Dalusung, Narrator, NLS Media Lab
Thursday, June 27 -- 3:30 PM-4:45 PM ET
Audio Description and Dance: Techniques and Strategies for Expanding Understanding of Types of Dance
Panelists will share firsthand and research-based strategies and techniques for providing audio description for dance performances.
Moderator: Kim Charlson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project and Executive Director, Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library, Watertown, MA
Presenters: Krishna Washburn, Artistic Director, Dark Room Ballet, New York, NY; Esther Geiger, CMA (Certified Movement Analyst), WholeMovement, and Audio Description Associates, Takoma Park, MD; Kerry Thompson, Executive Director, Silent Rhythms Inc., Malden, MA; and Celia Hughes, Executive Director, Arts Spark Texas, Austin, TX
Friday, June 28 -- 12:30 PM-1:45 PM ET
Developments in Spanish-Language Audio Description
Panelists will discuss recent progress in the creation, availability, and distribution of audio description in Spanish in the US.
Moderator: Tabitha Kenlon, ACB Audio Description Project Coordinator, Philadelphia, PA
Presenters: Maria-Victoria Diaz, PhD, CEO and President, Dicapta, Orlando, FL; and Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, PhD, Education Consultant, Washington, DC; additional panelists to be announced
Friday, June 28 -- 2:00-3:15 PM ET
Streaming Services: You Might Be Surprised Which Ones Have Audio Description
Come learn about film festivals, streaming services, and alternative video on demand services that provide audio description that you might not knew exist.
Moderator: Carl Richardson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project and Massachusetts State House ADA Coordinator, Brighton, MA
Presenters: Tubi, Pluto Tv, ReelAbilities, and more
Friday, June 28 3:30 PM-4:45 PM ET
Academic AD: Audio Description and Higher Education
Panelists will discuss the importance of audio description in higher education and its advantages as a learning and teaching tool.
Moderator: Tabitha Kenlon, ACB Audio Description Coordinator, Philadelphia, PA
Presenters: Susan Glass, English Professor (retired), Freelance Writer, Poet, Saratoga, CA; Natasha Ishaq, Student Ambassador Lead, Teach Access, Inc., and Higher Education Accessibility Consultant, Princeton, NJ; and RaLynn McGuire, Lecturer and Lead Accessibility/UDL Specialist, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX
Friday, June 28 -- 5:00 PM-6:15 PM ET
Audio Description and Artificial Intelligence: What Can and Can’t It Do?
AD and AI—a match made in heaven? Or not? Maybe somewhere in between? Join us for a comprehensive review of how the use of AI can impact the production of audio description—its voicing, its writing, and its editing.
Moderator: Joel Snyder, PhD, President, Audio Description Associates, LLC, Takoma Park, MD
Presenters: Brett Oppegaard, PhD, Professor, School of Communication and Information, College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii at Mānoa, Manoa, HI; Joshua Miele, PhD, Adaptive Technology Researcher, MacArthur Fellow, Amazon labs, Berkeley, CA; and Tristan Snyder, Freelance Audio Editor, Minneapolis, MN
Saturday, June 29 11:00 AM-12:15 PM ET
Blind Film Critics, Audio Description, and More
Learn how three professional film critics who happen to be blind use audio descriptions to do film reviews and criticism, what they think make for good or bad audio description, and more.
Moderator: Carl Richardson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project and Massachusetts State House ADA Coordinator, Brighton, MA
Presenters: John Stark, “Mac The Movie Guy,” (macthemovieguy.com), Orlando, FL; Alexander Howard, “The Dark Room” Podcast (buzzsprout.com), Burbank, CA; and Lee Pugsley, “The Dark Room” Podcast (buzzsprout.com), Orangelos, CA
