2020 Audio Description Project Conference

Our 2020 Conference

The 2020 Conference, originally scheduled for Schaumburg, IL, turned into a Virtual Conference due to COVID-19.  It was held as a virtual conference (via Zoom) from 9:30am to 9:30pm daily starting July 3.  The ADP Conference was held each afternoon Mon-Fri at various times, plus some pre-conference specials.  There was a minimal cost ($25-$35) to attend.  Here is the agenda (or read the detailed agenda)  Click on the links below to listen to the recorded audio or video.

• Fri Jul 3, 6pm:  2020 Academy Award Winner for BEST PICTURE, Parasite.  The catch is that this film is NOT available in the USA with audio description, but WE HAVE A COPY WITH DESCRIPTION!  Audio only, not available for replay here.  (You can purchase the described DVD from Amazon UK, but it will not work on USA DVD players and must be played on a computer.)
• Sat Jul 4, 7pm:  Disney's Pick of the Litter, with one of the participants present for a Pick of the Litter Q&A session.  Audio only, not available for replay here, but available on DVD, HULU, ITUNES, PRIME-VIDEO, and SPECTRUM-ACCESS.
• Sat Jul 4 9pm:  Described 2019 Fireworks from the Mall in Washington, DC.  Audio only.
• Mon Jul 6 4:30pm:  Getting the Most Out of the ADP Website audio; or click here for ADP Website presentation foils, which may be updated periodically
• Mon Jul 6 7:30pm:  Entertainment and Media Industry Update with panelists discussing their audio description offerings (video)
• Tue Jul 7, 12:30pm:  AD Achievement Award Winners (view the list from all years)
  • Achievement in Audio Description – Performing Arts: Broadway Sacramento (read Sacramento theater company honored for its inclusive shows)
  • Special Recognition Achievement in Audio Description — Performing Arts: Mary Hanks
  • Achievement in Audio Description – Media: Disney+/The Walt Disney Company (read Disney Press Release)
  • 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
• Tue Jul 7, 3pm:  FCC Legislative Update
• Wed Jul 8 4:30pm:  AD Opportunities Within the National Parks System
• Thu Jul 9 3pm:  Strategies for Cord-Cutting and Streaming Services (or click here for page on which Cord-Cutting presentation was based)
• Fri Jul 10 3 pm:  Audio Description and Quality Control (the hiring of description producers / describers / narrators and audio editors)
• Fri Jul 10, 8pm: "Banquet" speaker:  Roy Samuelson, a leading Audio Description Narrator.  Roy will be sharing how his firm informs, inspires, and recruits relevant organizations into a new initiative in blind audience empowerment.
• All week: Various audio described tours on ACB Radio, including:
  • Klondike Gold Rush Museum
  • Natchez Trace Parkway
  • National Portrait Gallery
  • Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
  • The Audubon Experience
  • The Flag That Inspired The National Anthem
  • The Insect Zoo
  • The United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum
  • The White House
  • Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center

Previous Conferences

• 2019 Rochester, NY
• 2018 St. Louis, MO
• 2017 Sparks, NV
• 2016 Minneapolis
• 2014 Las Vegas
• 2010 Phoenix
• 2009 Orlando
• 2002 Washington, DC (AD International, predecessor to the ADP)