Of the streaming services we report on, here are the ones with the greatest growth in described content in 2024 (Posted Jan 1).
In terms of total number of described titles, it is interesting to note no duplicates from above.
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:
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)
Read this illuminating article about describing dance in the Bay area of Los Angeles through the late Jess Curtis' organization, Gravity. (Posted Sep 9)
As a part of the SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences) 2024 That’s VoiceOver event, voice actors are invited to register for the second annual Audio Description Audition Jam! Voice Actors worldwide are invited to register and audition. Auditions must be recorded by your own means and submitted as an MP3 file. Final submissions must be uploaded no later than October 5, 2024, at 11:59pm PST. Five (5) finalists will be notified by October 14, 2024, to be confirmed for the final audition round. The final audition round will take place live, onsite at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott before a live audience on Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 1:10 PM PST.
Two finalists will be selected as the winners and each will receive two jobs (projects); one for Deluxe and one for Audio Eyes. See official rules/eligibility requirements for more information and submit your audition at https://sovas.org/audio-description-audition-jam/. Good luck! (Posted Sep 3)
Don't miss a moment of the 2024 Paralympic Games, taking place August 28-September 8. NBC is following up its stellar audio description of the Olympics with an expanded team of describers and unprecedent coverage. Learn How to Watch and/or read the press release. (Posted Aug 28)
If you missed the ADP Conference in June, or just want to listen again, visit the Conferences page for links to recordings of all the virtual sessions. Learn about audio description for dance, in education, and at Prime Video. Enjoy a discussion of the pros and cons of AI in AD, and meet blind film critics who share their thoughts on movies and the AD they love. (Posted Aug 27)