What is Audio Description? Audio Description (AD) is like a narrator telling a story. It is an additional commentary that describes body language, expressions and movements, making the story clear through sound.

It works by adding an extra audio channel to a visual performance such as theatre, dance or opera, as well as media such as film and television for the benefit of people who are visually impaired or blind. The descriptive narrative to tell people what's going on is inserted during natural pauses between dialog, songs and sound effects. The commentary is often delivered through a headset during the performance.

Very often we can identify the availability of Audio Description by the use of the AD logo.

When adding AD it is important to deliver the basics. For example, for a theatre production you need to explain who is on the stage at any moment. Things like a loud crash on the stage or somebody attacking someone needs to be explained.

It is a common misconception that partially sighted and blind people don't watch films and television.

A survey carried out by RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) in 1991, showed that 94 per cent of blind and partially sighted people watch films/television regularly (RNIB, 1991).

Imagine trying to understand The Matrix without AD. Compare these two versions of a well known scene in the film.

Where would I find Audio Description?

The short answer is: on TV, on DVD, on video, at the cinema, at theatre performances, in museums and also at sports grounds.

For television - in the UK

The Communications Act 2003, stated that ten per cent of the programming on digital terrestrial/ cable/ satellite television must be broadcast with AD by the fifth year of a digital license being issued. A number of broadcasters such as BBC, Sky, Channel 4, and most recently ITV have committed to providing AD on at least twenty per cent of their programming

Good practice when preparing AD

Pare down the words; only give essential information. If the 'phone rings, you don't need to say 'the phone rings' because we just heard it. It is important not to interpret the story for the audience. Don't detract from the story by putting your interpretation of the events into the AD - simply fill in the picture. Good practice means that the narrator becomes invisible after a short time and you don't even notice the audio description.

 A good resource for all sight related information is the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind)
See also - Audio Description Association