|
$23 (print) or $12 (downloadable)
available from the
ACB Mini Mall.
Also available on Amazon.
(Free for members of
Bookshare)
Also available in Russian,
Chinese, Spanish, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese
(Greek forthcoming)
plus braille and audio via the NLS for B&PH
The publication is adapted
from Joel Snyder's dissertation
for his PhD from the Center
for Accessibility and Ambient
Intelligence at the Universitat
Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain.
Dr. Snyder is the President
of Audio Description Associates,
LLC, and Director of ACB's Audio
Description Project; he began
work in audio description with
Margaret and Cody Pfanstiehl
in 1981 and has trained describers/introduced
description throughout the United
States and in
more than 35 countries.
From the book:
"Audio Description (AD) makes
the visual images of theater,
media and visual art accessible
for people who are blind or
have low vision. Using
words that are succinct, vivid,
and imaginative (via the use
of similes or comparisons),
describers convey the visual
image that is either inaccessible
or only partially accessible
to a segment of the population.
"In addition, the visual image
is often not fully realized
by people who see, but who may
not observe. Description
may also benefit people who
prefer to acquire information
primarily by auditory means
and those who are limited-by
proximity or technology, for
instance-to accessing audio
of an event or production.
While description was developed
for people who are blind or
visually impaired, many others
may also benefit from description's
concise, objective 'translation'
of the key visual components
of various art genres and social
settings."
Read what people are saying
about
Joel Snyder and Audio Description
Training:
"I had the great pleasure to
work with Joel Snyder as a special
consultant during a three-day
training session. We share common
values: a commitment to the
highest quality in audio description,
the most effective ways to develop
that level of expertise, and
the belief that the involvement
of audio description consumers
is key. Joel's longevity and
breadth of experience with audio
description is unparalleled;
his trainees reap the considerable
benefits of his substantial
background."
-Rick Boggs, President, Audio
Eyes, Inc., Los Angeles, California
"Joel Snyder's training provided
new insight into a research
area which has now become an
important area of study throughout
Europe. His experience and his
wisdom, along his with generosity,
are a major driving force in
the field of audio description
and an inspiration to us all."
-Dr. Pilar Orero, PhD Coordinator,
Center for Accessibility and
Ambient Intelligence, Universitat
Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona
"Joel provided audio description
training for our local theater,
and it was amazing to observe
how much the confidence and
the ability of the trainees
constantly improved throughout
the weekend. Just when I thought
I was receiving as much description
as possible, the trainees would
try again, and their work would
be much improved."
-Mike Duke, Mississippi Public
Broadcasting, New Stage Theatre,
Jackson, Mississippi
"For decades, Joel Snyder has
combined his astonishing command
of language with his keen attention
to detail to create word pictures
that stir the mind's eye, especially
for patrons of the arts whose
physical eyes cannot see. Still,
they see imaginatively, exquisitely.
Making the visual verbal" truly
enlivens the arts! And Joel
has been a pioneer in doing
so. His gift for making performances
accessible and his leadership
in audio description conferences
we coordinated were highlights
of my tenure at the Kennedy
Center. His book has been long-awaited
and no doubt will become the
standard for prospective audio
describers around
the world."
-Kelsey Marshall, Founding Director
of Accessibility, the John F.
Kennedy Center for the Performing
Arts, Washington, DC
"Studying audio description
with Joel Snyder is an experience
that goes much beyond learning
the standards of visual translation.
He demonstrates how description
can empower people who are blind
to exercise their interest in
the arts and media. Dr. Snyder
does not only teach the standards
of audio description; he teaches
that audio describing is an
act of respect for people with
disabilities. Learning audio
description with Joel Snyder
is learning how to make words
paint images in the minds of
audio description consumers."
-Dr. Francisco Lima, Professor,
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco,
Recife, Brazil
"Prior to our third annual disability
film festival in 2006, we invited
Joel Snyder to Moscow to prepare
local audio describers for our
festival. Audio description
was still unheard of in Moscow
and was not being provided at
all. Joel introduced AD to Russians
by way of an interactive training
that not only introduced the
concept of AD in detail but
gave each participant the opportunity
to practice describing films.
Later, half of the group successfully
audio described films at our
festival. Today, AD is still
slowly developing as a service
in Russia, but for those of
us who participated in that
first training, audio description
has become a significant service
that we will continue to promote."
-Denise Roza, Director, Perspektiva-Best
Buddies, Moscow, Russia
"I am grateful to Dr. Snyder
for sharing with the Hong Kong
arts community the fundamentals
of audio description-observation,
editing, language and vocal
skills and most importantly:
passion. We learned how "the
visual is made verbal" to increase
access to the arts, a concept
in line with our own commitment
that the "arts are for everyone."
Dr. Snyder has sown the seeds
for a thriving audio description
scene
in Hong Kong!"
-Ida Lam, Chairperson, Arts
with the Disabled Association,
Hong Kong (VSA Hong Kong)
"When Joel Snyder came to Iceland
in 2009, there was no knowledge
of audio description in the
country and no qualified audio
describers. But as a result
of Dr. Snyder's work, there
is now both knowledge and selection
of audio describers available
that can produce audio description
in Icelandic."
-Kristinn Halldór Einarsson,
Chairman, Blindrafelagid, Icelandic
Organization of the Visually
Impaired (BIOVI), Reykjavik,
Iceland
"When we hosted Joel Snyder
in South Africa, he mesmerized
the participants with his lively
facilitation style and his expertise
in audio description. In introducing
audio description in Durban,
Johannesburg, and Cape Town,
he opened our world to unlimited
possibilities!"
-Shakila Maharaj, Durban, South
Africa
"It was my great pleasure to
be a part of Joel Snyder's comprehensive
Audio Description Institute,
an audio description training
program sponsored by the American
Council of the Blind. I especially
appreciated his focus and understanding
of the needs of audio description
users: people who are blind
or partially sighted. His book
includes this focus as well
as a thorough grounding in the
fundamentals of audio description;
I know it will be an invaluable
asset for the study of audio
description."
-Sonali Rai, Digital Media and
Culture Development Officer,
Royal National Institute for
Blind People, London, England
|
Audio Description Project
