Audio Description is an internationally recognised aid for the blind and visually impaired providing narrated description of visual elements.
In visual media such as television AD))) differs from captioning, the subtitled format for sound, in that its purpose is not to provide an alternative to the spoken word and/or sound but instead to explain the visual context in which sounds are occurring.
CHECK THIS Video OUT
Check-out this 7 minute video presented by one of the world’s leading Audio Description programs, a division of Vision Australia, to find out how this service has changed the way many blind and visually impaired people now see and experience the world.
VISION AUSTRALIA
”Audio Description and Vision Australia: A 30-year partnership” ARTICLE EXCERPT | Read the full story here
Vision Australia’s audio description program has proved to be an industry leader, having provided audio description services across Australia for more than three decades. “Audio description provides people who are blind or who have low vision with an understanding of the visual aspects of a stage play, recorded video or a live arts exhibition,” Michael said. “Highly trained Vision Australia Audio Describers vividly and succinctly describe transitions, movements, gestures, props, settings and costumes during pauses in on stage dialogue,” he said.
While the majority of Vision Australia audio describers are volunteers, it takes a minimum six months of training before they are considered qualified to tackle projects on their own. “It’s very hard to pass the audition, only people with highly developed language skills are given the opportunity to join the program due to the nature of the work involved,” Michael said. “Once their training is finished they enter a three-month mentor phase before they can begin live description.”
“Audio describers will watch a staged show several times in preparation to get their descriptions just right.”