International Audio Description Information

On this page we list all the information we are given about audio description outside of the United States. This page was last updated in Jan '24. YOUR updates are most welcome; please send them to the webmaster via the link at the bottom of this page.

See separate page for International AD Services companies

General

• VocalEyes’ (UK) Weekly Listings of Accessible Arts and Culture
• If you are in the UK, you may enjoy The Coronation Concert on the BBC iPlayer. Sorry, only works in the UK. However, the Countdown to the Coronation series on YouTube is available to everyone.
• What TV is like for the visually impaired (New Zealand)
• Audio Description Worldwide Consortium (Prof Francisco Lima, Brazil)
• Describe the Invisible (Library of educational materials in Russian and English, a video library of described movies in Russian, English, and Ukranian, and Blog. Basic website is in Russian.)
• I love theatre and I’m blind. Here’s how that works.
• Audio Description in Israel
• ADLAB (a 3-year project, 2011-2014, on AD financed by the European Union; final report available)
• There have been seminars on Audio Description every two years entitled ARSAD: Advanced Research Seminar on Audio Description, in Barcelona, Spain. The link takes you to past seminar information.
• There was a conference on Audio Description entitled Audio Description: the Art of Access, in October 2016 in London, England. Use the link for audio recordings and more information.

Museums, etc.

• London Featured Museums (link on this website)
• London Beyond Sight (Audio Description of London Landmarks from VocalEyes)
• UK Parliament (tactile tours for blind and partially sighted visitors)
• Art UK: 25 audio-described sculptures from around the country

Television

• Australia (Vision Australia)
• Canada (separate page)
• Germany
  • Deutsche Horfilm gGmbH (DHG: information on German and Austrian TV, films, and DVDs with audio description; in German)]
  • Barrierefrei in der BR Mediathek (on demand; in German)
• United Kingdom
  • Where is TV audio description heading in 2019?
  • (Other links have been removed because they are too old. Send us new ones!)

Movies and DVDs

• Australia
  • Vision Australia
• Germany and Austria
  • A company called Greta & Starks offers a free IOS or Android app with description tracks for over 100 movies in German.
  • Deutsche Horfilm gGmbH (DHG: information on German and Austrian TV, films, and DVDs with audio description; in German)
  • ARD-Network-Guidelines (Audio Description Guidelines; in German)
  • ARD-Network-Guidelines (Audio Description Guidelines; in English)
  • Note that DVDs in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria usually start with a voice announcement about description that can be activated at that point by pressing the Select button.
• Spain
  • A Spanish blog posts news about audio described movies available in movie theaters
• United Kingdom
  • Audio Described Movies Now Showing in the UK and Ireland (from yourlocalcinema.com, covering 500 Cinemas)
  • Audio Described DVDs in the UK (from yourlocalcinema.com)
  • Audio Described DVDs and Blu-ray Discs on Amazon
  • Audio Description on Video and DVD (RNIB)

Accessible Online Screening Platform Launches in Edinburgh (Sep '22)

Sound Cinema, the first online cinema dedicated to audio described content and designed for the visually impaired community, provides a single location for audio described screenings of new and existing cinema releases. Through this platform, accessible screenings will be made available 24/7 on a pay-per-view basis, starting September 30th. At least initially, the services will be geo-restricted to the UK. www.mysoundcinema.com; Press Release (PDF); Press Release (Audio).

Consumer and Commercial Services (includes Performing Arts)

• See separate page for International AD Services

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