On this page you’ll find training opportunities, followed by a list of books and articles that AD writers might find helpful. (Note that other than the Audio Description Institute, the training sessions listed below are not associated with ACB or the ADP.)
Training Sessions
Audio Description Institute
The Audio Description Project holds two virtual sessions annually of its Audio Description Institute. The classes are taught by Dr. Joel Snyder, founder of the ADP, with a faculty of blind and sighted audio description professionals.
Access Virginia
Access Virginia provides training for audio description writers and narrators, with a focus on live theatre. Course material addresses writing, diction, and creating an accessible and inclusive environment for performing arts patrons. Contact accessvirginia@gmail.com for more information.
Arts Access North Carolina
Arts Access North Carolina holds audio describer training annually and will conduct special classes for groups. Visit the Arts Access Audio Describer Training website, email Arts Access, or call 919-833-9919 for more information.
Audio Description Colorado
Learn from Bonnie Barlow, who has more than thirty years of experience writing audio description. She has described live events, such as plays, ballet, opera, and rodeos, and movies and series. Visit the Audio Description Colorado Facebook page for information about classes.
Audio Description Training Retreats
Audio Description Training Retreats provides virtual training in audio description. Class sizes are small, and participants work with blind and sighted professionals to learn about multiple aspects of the industry. Click here for dates of upcoming classes.
Roy Samuelson
Experienced writer and narrator of audio description Roy Samuelson facilitates one-on-one coaching and workouts with blind professional advisors. The focus is on film and television performance of AD. Both blind and sighted talents who have experience in performance or being directed are welcome. Visit https://www.RoySamuelson.com/coaching/ for more details.
Roy’s podcast “The ADNA Presents“ (https://theadna.org/the-adna-presents/) features more than 200 interviews of AD professionals (a summary of episodes focusing on the performance of AD is available as a Kindle book: The ADNA Presents: Volume I: Know Your Narrator.)
Toronto Metropolitan University’s Course Series in Inclusive Media
This four-course series in inclusive media provides skills and knowledge about captioning and audio description. There are no admission requirements, and scholarships are available. Upon completion of all four courses, participants can apply to receive a Professional Development certificate.
Training Materials and Books
ADLab Pro. Website.
The ADNA Presents: Volume I: Know Your Narrator. Kindle.
Fryer, Louise. An Introduction to Audio Description: A Practical Guide. Routledge, 2016. Available in multiple formats.
Hutchinson, Rachel, and Hannah Thompson and Matthew Cock. Describing Diversity: An Exploration of the Description of Human Characteristics and Appearance within the Practice of Theatre Audio Description. Royal Holloway, University of London and VocalEyes, 2020.
Romero-Fresco, Pablo. Accessible Filmmaking: Integrating Translation and Accessibility into the Filmmaking Process. Routledge, 2019. Available in multiple formats.
Romero-Fresco, Pablo and Louise Fryer. The Accessible Filmmaking Guide. Website.
Samuelson, Roy. A Voice Actor’s Guide to Audio Description Performance. Nibi Press, 2024. Available in multiple formats.
Snyder, Joel. The Visual Made Verbal: A Comprehensive Training Manual and Guide to the History and Applications of Audio Description. The American Council of the Blind, 2014. Available in print, as an e-book, as an audiobook, in Braille, and in multiple languages. Members of Bookshare and the National Library Service (US) can access the book free of cost.
Taylor, Christopher and Elisa Perego. The Routledge Handbook of Audio Description. Routledge, 2022. Available in multiple formats.