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Once again, the American Council of the Blind’s Audio Description Project (ACB-ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) are co-sponsoring an exciting opportunity for blind and visually impaired young people, ages 7 to 21. This opportunity is The Benefits of Audio Description In Education (BADIE) contest. The young person chooses an audio-described film or video from the more than 6,000 educational titles available through DCMP — visit www.dcmp.org. They watch the film, and then write an evaluation of its audio description, commenting on the extent to which the description enhanced or detracted from their experience with the film. Contest winners receive first, second and third place prizes, and the grand prize winner is awarded an iPad mini, and the chance to read his/her winning essay at the American Council of the Blind's National Conference and Convention. Teachers of first place winners also receive prizes. To register for the contest, find guidelines and prize information, learn how audio description is created, and get tips for writing a good review, visit www.badiecontest.org.

The deadline for contest entries is March 15, 2027. Winners will be notified in April.

The Audio Description Project advocates for more high-quality audio description (AD), and we have many partners in this campaign. Roy Samuelson andtheADNA.org are tireless allies as we work to build awareness of and respect for the creative inclusion art that is audio description. 
 
Roy recently shared an exciting upgrade to the ADNA’s title directory, which names the people who make AD, credit by credit. Those people, blind and sighted, deserve the same credit as everyone else who works on a film or series. The directory lists more than 10,000 titles linked to more than 600 people, including performers, writers, producers, engineers, and quality control.
 
Collecting this information is a community effort. If you've heard the audio description credits on a show, or you worked on one, send them in:https://theADNA.org/submit-credits. It’s easy to contribute - no need to create an account. Paste a list or attach a file. You can send credits for someone else, and your name stays private. Each credit is checked by a human before it goes live.
 
Synthetic voice, meaning text-to-speech (software reading the script), has its own listing with more than 1,000 credits: https://theADNA.org/synth-voice.
 
If you can't get enough about AD, you’ll love the ADNA Presents podcast, There are more than 260 episodes. Each episode links to the guest's profile, and each profile links back to the guest’s episode: https://theADNA.org/the-adna-presents. The profile also includes a list of AD credits so it’s easy to binge-listen your favorite writers and narrators.
 
For more on theADNA.org and how this database was created, visit https://roysamuelson.com/adna-rebuilt/. To hear how an Audio Description track gets made, and where the names get lost along the way, visit https://roysamuelson.com/theadna/.
We’re proud to announce that ACB has been selected to receive the 2026 Navigator Award from the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)!
 
The Navigator Award recognizes collaborative efforts to remove barriers and create opportunities for people who are blind. APH is honoring ACB for its longstanding advocacy for audio description and its work to make this important access feature more widely available across entertainment and educational programming.
 
From advocating for legislative and regulatory action beginning in the early 1990s to helping advance audio description requirements in the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, ACB has worked for decades to expand access to described programming. APH also recognized ACB’s role in providing information about described programs, advancing the quality of audio description, and recognizing leaders in the field.
 
ACB will accept the award during APH’s Annual Meeting in October.
 
We’re honored to receive this recognition and grateful to APH for highlighting the importance of audio description and the work that has helped make it an increasingly common part of accessible entertainment and education.
 
We also want to thank APH for the important work it does every day to expand access to information and educational opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision. APH has been a valued partner of ACB, and we’re grateful for our shared commitment to creating greater access and opportunity.

It's almost impossible to spend time on social media or even the internet in general without encountering videos. As Ka Li, an accessibility and usability consultant specializing in digital access and tactile media, points out in a recent blog post, many of the millions of videos uploaded every day have enough spoken words to be considered accessible to blind and low-vision users. But there are also plenty of videos that would benefit from audio description. Read Li's article, "An Overlooked Way to Make YouTube Videos More Accessible," for tips on using apps and AI to add audio description when the content creator hasn't.

After a sneak preview virtual screening of the documentary BRAILLED IT as part of the ADP Conference, which took place during the 2026 ACB convention in July, the film is now showing in select theaters across the US. Access the BRAILLED IT website for a complete list of dates, times, and locations. 

BRAILLED IT documents three contestants in the annual Braille Challenge Finals where the best under-18 braille readers in the English-speaking world descend upon Los Angeles for a three-day competition. For one weekend, these BLV kids aren’t the minority in the room as they go head-to-head against old rivals, establish life-long bonds, and are given the opportunity to be recognized for something beyond their disability. 

BRAILLED IT is filmed almost entirely by the subjects, empowering them to be the filmmakers— capturing an authentic experience from a BLV perspective. The often-disorienting cinematography challenges sighted audiences to follow the action on the young filmmakers’ terms. Open audio description, developed and implemented as an essential element of the filmgoing experience, helps the audience understand this unique cinematic world through non-visual cues. 

The overwhelmingly positive response to BRAILLED IT’s initial screenings and premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival has inspired Artifact Studios to take the film on the road with a series of screenings and events that began July 12, 2026, at The Coolidge Theater in Boston. These screenings are meant to activate and engage local BLV communities to participate in a shared experience rarely offered by local theaters. Attendees can expect Q&A sessions with the filmmakers and braille literacy advocates. For those who can’t attend an in-person screening, Artifact will also be hosting virtual screenings with accompanying Q&As. 

Visit brailledit.com for more information, upcoming events and to contact Artifact Studios to organize a screening of the film. 

About the Braille Challenge: Braille Challenge is the only academic competition of its kind, held annually from January through March, for students who are blind or visually impaired. Developed by Braille Institute 25 years ago, the program inspires students to practice and strengthen their braille literacy skills, which are vital to academic and career success. Originally launched in the United States, Braille Challenge has since expanded to include participants from other countries, promoting braille literacy and inclusion on an international scale. 

About Artifact Studios: Artifact launched over 20 years ago to produce artful, independent nonfiction films—and content for purpose-driven brands. Their work illuminates unique human stories and allows audiences to identify with and understand the issues that shape all of our lives. 

Led by Artifact co-founder David Grabias, Artifact’s collective of directors, cinematographers, editors, and producers are among the most respected in the field. They have garnered Emmy Awards and nominations, Clios, Geminis, and awards from scores of film festivals and institutions including Sundance, Tribeca, ITVS, The Center for Asian American Media, The California Council for the Humanities, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Alex Howard loves the movies. But what happens when special film screenings leave out those who rely on audio description? Alex is a legally blind cinephile and relies on AD to be on an equal playing field as sighted peers. But what happens when a film has audio description yet it doesn't work properly during the theater screening, or when a title says it has AD but it doesn't—and you don't find out until you start watching?

Alex answers these questions and more in this article from the All Senses Go substack.

On Thursday, November 12, at 7:30pm ET, the ADP will broadcast the sixth Audio Description Awards Gala on ACB Media, YouTube, and Peacock. This pre-recorded awards show honors organizations and people who create and distribute outstanding AD. As always, there will be celebrity guests, happy award recipients, and the announcement of the AD People's Choice winners. 

Guiding us through all the excitement will be our hosts, Marilee Talkington and Ben Mehl. Marilee and Ben are both experienced actors and educators who are committed to making the arts more accessible. 

Ben played Dante Ferguson on Netflix’sYou and starred in Hallmark’s My Christmas Guide, bringing his lived experience with vision loss to both characters. He earned an MFA in Acting from New York University. He's taught and directed in the Graduate Acting Program at NYU and other acting schools throughout New York. Currently, he serves as Head of Movement for the Acting for Film program at New York Film Academy.

Marilee, who will be hosting the Awards Gala for the third time, is an actor, writer, creator, and disability advocate. Her career spans Broadway, film, television, motion capture, and voiceover. She originated the role of Morgan Le Fey in Aaron Sorkin’s Camelot on Broadway, and her screen credits include Apple TV+’s SEE and Extrapolations, NBC’s New Amsterdam, and the Lionsgate/Miramax film The Home. She also founded Access Acting Academy (AC3), the first professional acting studio built specifically for blind and low-vision performers.

Learn more about Marilee and Ben on the Awards Gala website, and don't miss the Awards Gala on November 12!

In 2026, FIFA expanded their accessibility program by providing Audio Descriptive Commentary in English, Spanish and French for all 104 matches of the 2026 Men's World Cup. The brief survey below (estimated time to complete 5 minutes) is aimed at understanding from the community who used the ADC service during the World Cup, what areas of this service worked and what areas need further refinement and improvement. This will help inform decision making and workflows for future iterations of the service. The survey is open until August 23, 2026.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8MTCWKC

In 2008, Stasha Boyd started producing audio description. In 2022, she founded the Audio Description Initiative (ADI). And now she's launched the ADI newsletter to share the conversation about audio description throughout and beyond her Central Florida base. In her welcome message, Stasha reports that she is often asked by venue managers why a blind person would want to attend a game, theatre performance, or concert.

Stasha's response: "It’s the same reason everyone else does. To be at the show. To feel the energy and celebrate the joy of being with friends and family. To be there, in person, in the room (or stadium, or amphitheater) where it happens."

Also in the newsletter's first issue, Stasha shares the story of what it might take to get AD to happen at a live event. There's a list of upcoming audio described events in Central Florida as well. Even if you're not in the area, ADI demonstrates how a community can work together to make live events more inclusive and accessible. In four years, ADI has provided audio description at 275 events! 

Visit the ADI website to learn more and subscribe to the newsletter. And if you have a local success story you'd like the ADP to know about, we'd love to hear from you.

The 2026 ADP Award recipients have been announced! These annual awards honor the people and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the quality and availability of audio description.

This year, the award went to:

  • Media: Elisa Jansen
  • Performing Arts Organization: Radio Talking Book Service Nebraska
  • Performing Arts Special Achievement: Dominic Mota
  • Performing Arts Special Achievement: Silhouette
  • Public Sector: "We're Walking Here" PSA video
  • International: The Royal Ballet and Royal Opera House
  • Dr. Margaret Pfanstiehl Memorial Award for Audio Description Research and Development: Audio Description Training Retreats
  • The Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description: Todd Tolson

Enjoy the ADP Awards presentation and acceptance remarks here: https://youtu.be/pvW_1WdN9-o

The American Council of the Blind (ACB) and the Audio Description Project (ADP) commend and congratulate these extremely deserving award recipients and thank them for their hard work and dedication to audio description.