Check out this discussion of the lack of audio description in advertising and the missed opportunities for promoting products to a wider audience of customers. Read the article on the Equal Entry website. (Posted Feb 11)

Registration is now open for the Audio Description Project’s twenty-fifth Audio Description Institute, taking place virtually March 24–28, 1–5 pm (ET). The fee is $575; two scholarships are available. To ensure a high-quality learning experience, space is limited, so don’t forget to secure your place. Visit our Education page for more information, or click here to register now! (Posted Feb 3)

It's time for Carl's annual list of films with AD nominated for Academy Awards. Check for a title on his list, and you'll see which service carries it. (Posted Jan 29)

Several of our streaming service providers have told us that updates will be delayed or incomplete because some employees are affected by the LA fires. This will take some time to work out. Also, new TV series production may be delayed. Because of the unprecedented severity of the problem, we offer this reference article: How to Help Victims of the Southern California Wildfires. (Updated Jan 13)

Of the streaming services we report on, here are the ones with the greatest growth in described content in 2024 (Posted Jan 1).

• Fandango 97%
• Pluto TV 88%
• Hulu 32%
• Apple TV+ 27%
• Peacock 25%

In terms of total number of described titles, it is interesting to note no duplicates from above.

• Prime Video (which includes titles from channel subscriptions) 6178
• Netflix 2762
• iTunes 2368
• Disney+ 1244
• Max 1121

Join the 2025 Descriptathon and help make national parks more accessible! ACB, the National Park Service, and UniDescription (UniD) are recruiting volunteers on the blindness spectrum to create audio descriptions for selected national park brochures. Teams are composed of people who are sighted and people who are blind or have low vision, all of whom will collaborate to describe maps, paintings, and visual images within park brochures. All meetings are held remotely, so you might find yourself learning about a park in your state or across the continent.

The Descriptathon will take place February 25–27, 2025 (volunteers are expected to attend all three full-day sessions). Participants will likely spend ten hours of prep time in the five weeks before the kick-off on February 25 (approximately two hours a week). During this prep time, team members will learn about audio description, how to use the UniD tool to describe their brochure, and get to know their teammates. Four to six hours might be needed to finalize the brochure description after the three-day event. Volunteers should have solid computer skills and be comfortable learning new technology.

This is a unique opportunity to participate in the creation of accessible materials and demonstrate the power of “nothing about us without us.” It’s a chance to meet new people, develop technical and communication skills, learn about national parks and audio description, build confidence, and have fun. UPDATE: Listen to a podcast about the UniDescription Project.

If this sounds great and you're ready to commit and join a team, please complete this short online form: D11 Registration form or email brett.oppegaard@hawaii.edu and tell him the ACB sent you! (Updated Dec 6)

The Thursday, November 14th ACB/ADP Awards Gala recognized outstanding achievement in a dozen media and entertainment categories, as well as announced the People’s Choice Award winners. Read the list of award winners or listen to the podcast ( Spanish version now available).

Hosts Marilee Talkington and Alie B. Gorrie welcomed celebrity guests like actor Kathy Bates, Paralympics Hall of Famer Trischa Zorn-Hudson, accessible gaming consultant Ross Minor, digital creator and advocate Molly Burke, and author and disability rights advocate Rebecca Alexander, and many more. The Awards Gala aired with captions, audio description, ASL interpretation, and a simultaneous full Spanish translation. (Updated Dec 1)

A recent article in Variety takes readers behind the scenes to explore how audio description was created for the new Max show "ThePenguin." The AD team included sighted and blind professionals who worked together to craft evocative audio description. Access the complete article here. (Posted Oct 30)

If you’ve wondered about legislation and policies addressing accessibility in media and technology, you’ll be interested in the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) biennial report to Congress. The report was submitted in accordance with the Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010 (CVAA). The report:

• assesses industry compliance over the past two years with sections 255, 716, and 718 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended (the Act). These sections require telecommunications and advanced communications services and equipment, and Internet browsers built into mobile phones to be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities,
• addresses accessibility barriers to new communications technologies and the effect of the accessibility-related recordkeeping and enforcement requirements under section 717 on the development and deployment of such technologies, and
• provides information about the number and nature of, and actions taken to resolve, complaints alleging violations of sections 255, 716, and 718 for the period of January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2023.

Access the full report here. (Posted Oct 9)

If you've been a fan of the audio described broadcasts of the Paralympic Games, learn how NBC made these the most accessible games ever. Don't miss commentary from ADP co-chair Kim Charlson! Access the full article here. And if you still want more, check out the conversation between ADP co-chairs Kim Charlson and Carl Richardson and the NBC staff and describer. (Posted Sep 13)