Audio Description Project
Audio Description Project
Each year since 2009, the ACB's Audio Description Project has recognized individuals and organizations for their contributions to audio description, as nominated by their peers and grateful users. Here are past winners.
Achievement in Media (Organization) — Jehovah's Witnesses.
Special Achievement in Performing Arts — Think Outside the Vox, Boston, MA.
Achievement in the Performing Arts (Individual) — Beth Crabb, Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
Achievement in Performing Arts (Organization) — The Audio-Description Learning Network (ADLN), Philadelphia, PA.
Public Sector Award — The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description — Kyle Sisk, the Described and Captioned Media Program.
Achievement in Media (Individual) — Debra Erickson, Executive Chef and Founder of The Blind Kitchen.
Achievement in Museums (Individual) — Karen Bergman, Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Achievement in Museums (Organization) — The North Carolina Museum of Art and its "Sensory Journey through Art" program.
Special Achievement in Museums — Dr. Michelle Edwards of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Achievement in the Performing Arts (Individual) — Bonnie Barlow.
Achievement in Performing Arts (Organization) — The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.
Public Sector Award — The Space Telescope Science Institute.
International Award — MovieReading.
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description — Dr. Joshua Miele.
Achievement in Audio Description — Performing Arts/Individual: Maryfrances Evans, Executive Director, Iowa Radio Reading Information Service, Des Moines, IA
Achievement in Audio Description — Performing Arts/Organization: Prime Stage Theatre with Nathan Ruggles, Audio Describer, Pittsburgh, PA
Achievement in Audio Description — Media/Individual: Norma Jean Wick and Tony Ambrosio, Descriptive Video Works, Ontario, Canada
Achievement in Audio Description — Visual Art/Museums/Visitor Centers/Individual: Holly Griesemer, Management and Program Analyst, National Park Service Midwest Region/Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance and Accessibility Programs, Omaha, NE
Achievement in Audio Description — Visual Art/Museums/Visitor Centers/Organization: Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, N.C.
Achievement in Audio Description — International: World Blind Union, Toronto, Canada
Achievement in Audio Description — Public Sector: Centers for Disease Control Accessibility Program and Office of the Associate Director for Communications, Atlanta, GA
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award for Research and Development — Audio Description: Dr. Elisa Perego and Dr. Christopher Taylor, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description: Mark Turits, Vice President, Captioning and Audio Description/Access Services, Paramount Global, New York, NY
2021
Achievement in Audio Description — Performing Arts/Individual: Magan Harms, Mind's Eye Radio, St. Louis, MO
Achievement in Audio Description — Media/Individual: Roy Samuelson, Voiceover Artist, Los Angeles, CA
Achievement in Audio Description — Media/Organization: International Digital Centre, Audio Description Department , NY, NY
Special Recognition, Achievement in Audio Description — Media/Individuals: Talk Description to Me Podcast with Christine Malec and JJ Hunt, Toronto, Canada
Special Recognition, Achievement in Audio Description —Media/Organization: Imagination Videobooks, Inc.; Denver, CO
Achievement in Audio Description — Visual Art/Museums/Visitor Centers/Individual: Stasha Boyd, QMedia Productions, Winter Garden, FL
Achievement in Audio Description — Visual Art/Museums/Visitor Centers/Organization: U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum, Colorado Springs, CO
Achievement in Audio Description — International: Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand, Wellington, NZ
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio Description Research and Development: Dr. Anna Matamala, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description: Thomas Wlodkowski, Vice President of Accessibility and Assistive Technologies, Comcast, Inc.
Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts: Broadway
Sacramento
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description — Performing
Arts: Mary Hanks
Achievement in Audio Description – Media: Disney+/The Walt
Disney Company
Achievement in Audio Description – Visual Art/Museums/Visitor
Centers: Michele Hartley
Achievement in Audio Description – International: VocalEyes
(U.K.)
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description – International:
Audio Described Aotearoa Ltd. (New Zealand)
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description – Research and Development: United Airlines
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio
Description: Matthew J. Kaplowitz
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts:
Hunter Gullickson, The Guthrie Theater -
Minneapolis, MN.
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description - Montclair State University - Montclair, NJ.
Achievement in Audio Description - Media:
Microsoft/Xbox - Seattle, WA.
Achievement in Audio Description - Visual Art / Museums /
Visitor Centers: Hannah Goodwin, Museum of Fine Arts
- Boston, MA.
Achievement in Audio Description - International:
Vera Arma, ARTIS Project - Viterbo Area,
Italy.
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl
Memorial Achievement Award in Audio Description - Research and Development:
Dr. Brett Oppegaard, The UniDescription
Project - University of Hawaii.
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio
Description: Jon P. Skaalen -
Minneapolis, MN.
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: MindsEye
Radio/Marjorie Moore - St. Louis, MO
Achievement in Audio
Description - Media: Rooted in Rights - Seattle, WA
Achievement in
Audio Description - Museums/Visual Art/Visitor Centers: Tennessee
School for the Blind and Julia Cawthon - Nashville, TN
Achievement in Audio Description - International: Amos
Be'er, CEO, The Central Library for the Blind and Visually
Impaired People, Israel
Achievement in Audio Description - International:
Special Recognition Achievement in
Audio Description: Antonio Vazquez Martin, Aristia
Producciones SLU-Madrid, Spain
Dr.
Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio Description -
Research and Development: Dr. Francisco Lima-Recife,
Brazil
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement
in Audio Description: The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for
Accessible Media at WGBH (NCAM)
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: Lori Ward,
Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville TN
Achievement in Audio
Description - Media: ABC Digital
Achievement in Audio Description - International: ABLE - New Zealand
Achievement in Audio Description - International: Dr. Anna
Jankowska, Poland
Special Recognition Achievement in
Audio Description: Timothy Wynn, Florida
Dr.
Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio Description -
Research and Development: Actiview, California
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement
in Audio Description: Diane Johnson, Descriptive Video Works-Canada
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: Arts
Access, Raleigh, NC
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: Fred Brack, ADP
Webmaster, Raleigh, NC
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: Dole Institute of
Politics / Audio-Reader Network, Lawrence, KS
Achievement in Audio Description - International: Bos Soluções e
Serviços Ltda. - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description: Alice
Austin, Eliot, ME
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description: Mark
Messersmith, The Visual Voice - Mountain View, CA
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: Disney / Pixar "Disney
Movies Anywhere App" - Los Angeles, CA
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Dr. Francisco Lima - Recife, Brazil
Achievement in Audio Description – Media: Netflix –
Los Gatos, CA
Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts: Jesse
Minkert, Arts and Visually Impaired Audiences - Seattle, WA
Achievement in Audio Description – Museums: Meadows Museum of
Art / Southern Methodist University – Dallas, TX
Achievement in Audio Description – International: Anne Hornsby,
Mind’s Eye – Bolton, United Kingdom
Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description: Sebastian
Andrade-Miles - Glendale, CO
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description – Research and Development: Accessible Media, Inc.
“AMI Player” – Toronto, Canada
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Dr. Pilar Orero – Barcelona, Spain
Achievement in Audio Description - Media:
Diane Johnson and Descriptive Video Works, Vancouver,
BC, Canada
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts:
Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami,
FL
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums:
Sandy Malmquist and the Connecticut Children's Museum,
New Haven, CT
Achievement in Audio Description - International:
Steph Kirkland and the VocalEye Descriptive Arts Society,
Vancouver, BC, Canada
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: Dr. Louise Fryer,
London, U.K.
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Dr. Joel Snyder, Takoma Park, MD
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: Hollywood
Access Services, Los Angeles, CA
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts:
Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, IL
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: The White
House, Washington, DC
Achievement in Audio Description - International:
Accessible Media, Inc., Toronto, Canada
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: Ryerson
University and Dr. Deborah Fels, Toronto, Canada
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Rick Boggs, Los Angeles, CA
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: Described
and Captioned Media Program, Spartanburg, SC
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts:
Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, Louisville, KY
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: National Park
Service, Washington, DC
Achievement in Audio Description - International: Track
One Communications, New Delhi, India
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: Dr. Philip Piety,
Silver Spring, MD
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Alan Woods, Columbus, OH
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: Harry A.
Jessell, TV News Check, Chatham, NJ
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: Mimi
Smith, Amaryllis Theater Company, Philadelphia, PA
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: Rebecca
McGinniss, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Achievement in Audio Description - International: 20th
Century Fox International, London, England
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: Dr. Joshua A.
Miele, Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute, San Francisco,
CA
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Dr. Barry Cronin, Boston, MA
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: WGBH and the
Media Access Group, Boston, MA
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: Paper
Mill Playhouse, Milburn, NJ
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: Smithsonian
Institution and Beth Ziebarth, Washington, DC
Achievement in Audio Description - International: Bernd
Benecke and Bayerischer Rundfunk, Munich, Germany
Dr. Margaret R. Pfanstiehl Memorial Achievement Award in Audio
Description - Research and Development: American
Foundation for the Blind, New York, NY
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Gregory Frazier and Audio Vision, San Francisco, CA
(awarded posthumously to Gregory Frazier)
Achievement in Audio Description - Media: Maria Diaz
and Closed Caption Latina, Longwood, FL
Achievement in Audio Description - Performing Arts: Lisa
Helen Hoffman and Geva Theatre, Rochester, New York
Achievement in Audio Description - Museums: Elisabeth
Axel and Art Education for the Blind, New York, NY
Achievement in Audio Description --International: Joan
Greening and the Royal National Institute of Blind People,
London, England
Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description:
Jim Stovall, Narrative Television Network, Tulsa, OK
