ACB Focus: Audio Description
American Council of the Blind, Inc.

20220703 A Day in the Life of an Audio Engineer - Describer

Originally Aired July 3, 2022, on ACB Media

October 1, 2022

20220703 A Day in the Life of an Audio Engineer - Describer Originally Aired July 3, 2022, on ACB Media Attendees joined Chris Snyder as he took participants through a workday for a blind AD professional. Participants got to hear what it's like to QC a script, voice, edit and mix a program, and asked questions afterwards. This was a program that the curious and the aspiring AD professionals did not miss. Edited By:  Tony Swartz

20220703 3D Audio Excursion

Originally Aired July 3, 2022, on ACB Media

October 1, 2022

20220703 3D Audio Excursion Originally Aired July 3, 2022, on ACB Media **        Back by popular demand, come with Chris Snyder as he takes you on another 3D audio excursion to places real and fantastic. Put on your headphones, sit back and journey with us as we go from the ordinary to the unbelievable. We'd tell you what to expect, but where would be the fun in that? Life is an adventure, and this is one you won't want to miss! Edited By:  Tony Swartz**

20220625 Self-Description: Too Much or Just Enough - Blind Community Perspectives

Originally Aired June 25, 2022, on ACB Media

August 25, 2022

20220625 Self-Description: Too Much or Just Enough - Blind Community Perspectives Originally Aired June 25, 2022, on ACB Media

Sponsored: Audio Description Project

Edited By: Michael Moran

20210723 - Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonies pre-show extravaganza!

Sponsored by ACB

August 17, 2021

ACB's Clark and Kim talk with Para athletes and preview the 2021 Tokyo summer Olympics

Recorded during the ACB national convention on July 23 2021

20210719 - Audio description in the performing arts

Sponsored by ADP

August 17, 2021

~~Audio Description in the Performing Arts: This panel of leading theater access professionals highlighted various ways audio description has been provided in performing arts venues, and how each has evolved to provide virtual description services during a pandemic. Moderator: Joel Snyder, PhD, Founder and Senior Consultant, ACB Audio Description Project, Takoma Park, MD Panelists: ♦ Brenna Nicely, Education and Engagement Director, American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, MA ♦ Mary Hanks, Audio Describer, Houston Grand Opera, Houston, TX ♦ Jess Curtis, Artistic Director, Jess Curtis/Gravity, San Francisco, CA ♦ Alice Shepherd, Artistic Director, Kinetic Light, London, UK

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 19 2021~~

20210722 - Describing race, skin color, ethnicity, gender and disability within todays audio description

Sponsored by the ADP and MCAC

August 17, 2021

~~Diversity: Describing Race, Skin Color, Ethnicity, Gender, and Disability within Contemporary Audio Description: Attendees heard a direct and thoughtful discussion by a panel of audio description experts on the importance of diversity within the field, how to describe in today’s diverse world, and reflected on what consumers want to hear in their descriptions. Moderator: Kim Charlson, Audio Description Project Co-Chair, Watertown, MA Panelists: ♦ Dr. Rachel Hutchinson, Project and Community Engagement Manager, Royal Holloway, University of London, Inclusive Description for Equality and Access (IDEA) #InclusiveAD, London, UK ♦ Thomas Reid, Reid My Mind Radio, Stroudsburg, PA ♦ Cheryl Green, Audio Describer/Voicer, Portland, OR ♦ Maria Vicky Diaz, Ph.D., Dicapta Foundation, Oviedo, FL ♦ Renee Arrington-Johnson, Audio Description Consumer, Member, ACB ADP Steering Committee, Lyndhurst, OH Co-sponsored by: ADP and MCAC

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 22 2021~~

20210721 - Audio description in the out of doors

Sponsored by ADP

August 17, 2021

~~Audio Description in the Outdoors: National Park Service, the UniDescription Project, and the UniD App: This session featured the National Park Service's work to bring audio description and increased access into park settings and highlighted the NPS's collaboration with the University of Hawaii's UniDescription Project to use its UniD app in U.S. and Canadian parks. Moderator: Jo Lynn Bailey-Page, ACB Audio Description Project Coordinator Panelists: ♥ Brett Oppegaard, Ph.D., Associate Professor, School of Communications, University of Hawaii at Manoa and Principal Investigator of the UniDescription Project, Honolulu, HI ♥ Michele Hartley, Media Accessibility Coordinator, Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service, Harpers Ferry, WV ♥ Holly Griesemer, Management and Program Analyst for the National Park Service Midwest Region: Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance and Accessibility Programs, Omaha, NE ♥ Clark Rachfal, Director, Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, American Council of the Blind (ACB), Alexandria, VA

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 21 2021~~

20210720 - Podcasts featuring audio description

Sponsored by ADP

August 17, 2021

~~Podcasts Related to Audio Description: Attendees met the hosts of five podcasts featuring audio description, and learn how each got started, what they cover, and their plans for the future. Moderator: Kim Charlson, Co-Chair, Audio Description Project, Watertown, MA Podcasts include:

1. Picture This: A Podcast on All Aspects of Audio Description Co-Hosts: Brian Charlson, Watertown, MA; Carl Richardson, Brighton, MA Picturethis. [email protected]

  1. Reid My Mind Podcast Host: Thomas Reid [email protected]

  2. Social Audio Description Podcast Co-Hosts: Kensuke Nakamura and Caitlin Walsh [email protected]

  3. Talk Description to Me Co-Hosts: JJ Hunt, and Christine Malec, Toronto, ONT, Canada [email protected]

  4. The Know Your Narrator Podcast Host: Roy Samuelson, [email protected]

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 20 2021~~

20210718 - Audio Description Project (ADP) website update

August 17, 2021

~~Audio Description Project Website Overview and Update (acb.org/adp): The number of audio-described videos available has increased dramatically in the past year to the 6,000-plus range. The ADP website is the place to find pointers to them all. The presentation covered how you can best use the website to find what interests you and how to access description resources. Presenter ♥: Fred Brack, ADP Webmaster and Social Media Manager, Raleigh, NC, [email protected] facebook.com/acbadp twitter.com/ADPwebmaster

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 18 2021~~

20210719 - An evening with ACB: Audio description and streaming services

Sponsored by ADP

August 17, 2021

~~An Evening with ACB: Audio Description and Streaming Services: This industry panel featured representatives from major streaming services to discuss their product’s, programming, services, and offerings. Moderator: Carl Richardson, Co-Chair, ACB Audio Description Project, Brighton, MA Panelists: ♣ Melanie Goodman, Lead Digital Supply Chain Specialist, HULU, Agoura Hills, CA ♣ Martha Heller, Vice President, Government Relations and Regulatory Counsel, Viacom CBS, Paramount+ Washington, DC ♣ Sarah Herrlinger, Director, Global Accessibility Policy & Initiatives, Apple, Cupertino, CA ♣ Daniel Kocmarek, Sr., Manager, Prime Video, Seattle, WA ♣ Mirka Pavlikova, Manager, Technical Production, Walt Disney Studios, Burbank, CA ♣ Allison Smith, Globalization Innovation Manager, Netflix, Los Gatos, CA ♣ Andy Larkin, Senior Manager, Accessibility, HBO Max, Chicago, IL ♣ Peacock with Thomas Wlodkowski, Vice President, Accessibility, Comcast, Philadelphia, PA

  • Recorded during the 2021 ACB National Convention on July 19 2021~~