The TV commercial gets your attention. It’s surprising to see a commercial about accessibility for people with vision loss, in primetime. It is powerful, as it elevates awareness for everyone who sees it when this kind of information still typically travels through word-of-mouth. And that’s not the only unusual aspect, this is a commercial about a product from Spectrum Communications which is available, free of cost, whether you are a Spectrum customer or not.
The 60-second spot shows a movie clip running along with an audio description track, providing the visual details pertinent to understanding what’s happening on screen. We then see a group of friends watching together and reacting to the movie’s unfolding events. One friend in the group is visually impaired and she is hearing the audio description privately from an app on her phone. “The Spectrum Access app gives the visually impaired audio description right from their phone, so nobody misses a thing.” This is a solution that gets you the information needed to enjoy movies and TV, without imposing it on others. The app puts you back in control.
Select the title to sync with your streamed TV program or movie. There are currently over 450 titles available on the app, with more being added regularly.
Download the title’s audio description.
Sync the audio description to your TV audio using the microphone on your smartphone. It syncs quite impressively to the exact same spot as the TV audio.
The video content on TV can originate from any streaming platform including Spectrum, Netflix, Hulu, PrimeVideo, On-Demand, and more. Spectrum is also partnering with NBC, CBS, and others to build the library of titles read to sync.
Change is notoriously difficult, especially when it is unwelcome. Adjusting the way we do things to compensate for vision loss requires — flexibility.A willingness to change is the gift that keeps giving. The more you do, the more skillful you become. With each new learning experience the brain gets a boost, and your confidence gets a bump too.
Uncorrectable changes in eyesight can make some things seem like they are just impossible to deal with. Actively engaging in the process of adjusting, will help you to continue doing the things you love to do, and need to do. Some changes involve a significant learning curve, while others simply require you to show up and enjoy.
The key to successful adjusting is knowing when and how. Here is a reference guide to changes that can improve the quality of your daily life.
Headphone on a side stack of books.
Reading Books
A visual impairment does not stop a book lover from reading. It is so important to understand that reading books is not about seeing the words, it is actually about being absorbed by the narrative. So to continue this wonderful pursuit, the two things you should first know are NLS Talking Books and Audible, more about both on OE links below.
TV programming is more accessible than ever. We have options through cable providers and streaming services. Audio description is available for TV, Broadway productions, movies, and museum visits.
View of the left side of a black care with Uber sticker.
Driving
This is a tough adjustment for many people, but a very important one. It is best to stop driving sooner, rather than later, for the safety of yourself and all those around you. Vision loss is unlikely to kill you, unless you get behind the wheel.
The good news is, we’re living in the ride-sharing generation. Order a car and get a driver to take you where you want to go. It’s totally cool, driving is so yesterday.
Mastering a mobile device has the potential to benefit you in many multiple ways. Use accessibility options for communication, banking, news & weather, control smart technology, track fitness, and much, much more. This is one of those learning curves that is totally worth the work.
Living with vision loss does not mean giving up the enjoyment of movies, museums, theater, or TV.There has never been a better time for access and inclusion in art and entertainment, for everyone. You just need to know it’s there for the asking.
It’s all been covered on the pages of OE Patients and we think it’s well worth repeating.Take advantage of these opportunities to elevate your accessibility awareness, and then pass the information along to a friend.
Close up portrait of woman smiling while wearing headphones.
Movies
All movie theaters, in the U.S., now make audio descriptive devices readily available to everyone. The descriptive track, embedded into all widely released movies, automatically syncs with the film and describes the details you may have otherwise missed. The descriptive narration is slipped into the quiet places of the film, so it does not interfere with the soundtrack.
Times Square’s animated colorful LED lights and Broadway theaters in New York City.
Theater
You can count on Broadway for audio description as well. Descriptive devices are available, for the asking, at every live performance beginning 4 weeks from opening night. Borrow a device in the theater’s lobby kiosk, or use the GalaPro app on your own mobile phone. And when purchasing theater tickets, don’t forget to ask about access seating closer to the stage. Staff is always on hand to help you get set to fully enjoy the show. These accommodations may also be available at a theater, off-Broadway, and near you, so go ahead and ask!
Visitors In Botticelli Hall Of Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
Museums
Art is more accessible than ever. More often than not, museums offer programs that include touch tours, verbal imaging tours, and audio description, available by appointment, or just for the asking.Explore the opportunities and you’ll discover there are many ways to ‘see’ art.
Woman using tablet to help navigate settings on TV.
Television
Viewing and navigating a TV is definitely a challenge with vision loss. Thanks to the 21st Century Communications & Video Accessibility Act, your cable provider must offer a voice-enabled TV guide. This too is available for the asking and at no extra cost. Today many cable providers are adding features, like channel selection, that can be controlled by voice.
On September 20, we were joined by speakers from Broadway, Cooper Hewitt, The Met and MoMA to discuss accessibility and the arts.
Technology is certainly playing an important role in making both performing and visual arts an inclusive, enjoyable experience for everyone. The great news is, to benefit from these audio descriptive technologies, all you have to do is show up.
While the information reviewed here pertains to New York City, the attention to access and the use of audio description is being embraced on a global scale. So if you don’t get to NYC much, go ahead and do some exploring of your local theaters and museums.
Speakers at the OE Patients accessibility session, from left to right: Francesca Rosenberg of MoMA, Ruth Starr of Cooper Hewitt, Dorrie Rush of OE, Christine Vanech of The Met Museum, and Kyle Wright of The Shubert Organization.
Audio Description on Broadway
The Broadway League’s accessibility initiative provides audio description and closed captioning on-demand for all shows (4 weeks from opening). Devices are available for borrowing from a kiosk in the theater’s lobby, or use your own mobile device with the Galapro app (download it before arriving at the theater and the kiosk staff can help you get started).
The app also does language translation and is available on the App Store and on Google Play. The technologies sync the assistive tracks seamlessly with the live performance, so you can relax and enjoy the show!
Verbal Description + Sensory Tours at Cooper Hewitt. Dynamic verbal description tours of exhibitions are offered the first Friday of every month at 1:30 p.m. Join a Cooper Hewitt educator, curator, or staff member in conversation and explore a selection of objects through detailed verbal description and touch. No registration required.
The Senses: Design Beyond Vision is on view now until October 28th. This exhibition explores how multi-sensory design amplifies everyone’s ability to receive information, explore the world, satisfy essential needs and experience joy and wonder.
Cooper Hewitt cares about inclusive design. Every video shown is audio-described and they are working on an app (available at the museum) to translate text labels to speech and make exhibition guides accessible.
Seeing Through Drawing workshops enable the artist in you to create your own work with the inspiration of the museum’s collection, verbal imaging, experimentation with techniques and materials.
Touch Tours are a very special experience, particularly at MoMA where you’ll get to touch a work of art by Picasso, Matisse or Rodin. Art InSight tours are scheduled monthly, offering exploration of the museum’s entire collection through vivid, detailed descriptions. Both tours are also offered by request.
Accessible audio guides with verbal description are available on the MoMA app and on MoMA.org. The museum will soon make audio description available for its movie screenings.
The upcoming first museum solo for Park McArthur, runs from October 27–December 16, 2018 at MoMA, examines questions of structural accessibility, and is accompanied by an audio guide and a large print illustrated brochure.
Address and Contact
MoMA
11 West 53 Street, between Fifth and Sixth Aves. in NYC
Web: MoMA.org
Phone: 212-408-6347
Email: [email protected]
Audio description and descriptive video service are increasingly available for movies, theater and TV. Learn more about how AD helps you see the details.
A project by American Council of the Blind (ACB), this resource provides audio-described program listings for U.S. museums and parks, TV, movies, streaming services and more.
Perhaps you’ve noticed the increasing availability of audio description (AD) and descriptive video service (DVS) for movies, theater and TV. This is one of the ways digital technology is boosting accessibility for viewers with vision loss. The visual voice describes the images and fills in the details we might have otherwise missed. It is the great equalizer.
Young woman outdoors with headphones on autumn day
Audio description is a narrative guide subtly slipped into the quiet spaces of the program, its purpose to keep the viewer fully informed. AD is something of an art itself, delivered by trained, skilled professionals, with typically high-quality results.
Access to the visual content through concise descriptions changes the experience completely. The things you cannot see become known: a facial expression, a subtle gesture, a funny quirk.
Audio Description for Movies, Theater and TV
The descriptive track is now embedded into most widely-released movies in the US.
To access the tracks on mobile devices or computers, it’s as easy as turning on Audio Description in the device setting. For example on an iPad, AD is turned on in the Accessibility settings under “Media”. More movie theaters are providing AD listening devices for any guest wishing to use them, and there is theater personnel on hand to assist.
Getting access to AD on a traditional television is a bit more complicated, and dependent on the TV, the cable provider, and even the region. For TV, our best advice is, settle in for a long call with technical support, it will prove worth your while.
Although it is lovely to have a live, professional audio describer at your service, it is not nearly as efficient as digital technology. There is a tremendous freedom involved in knowing an audio track is readily available for Broadway shows, museums and movies. Even better when the technology is accessed from your own personal device.
Broadway has the Galapro app for iOS and Android, which syncs the audio description instantly to the live performance.
There is an app for movies called Actiview, also designed to sync automatically and getting excellent reviews on the App Store. Rest assured, we will be seeing a great deal more development in apps of this nature for all arts and entertainment.
The Audio Description Project: A Comprehensive Resource
The progress we get to enjoy today is the result of inclusive technologies aligning with advocacy efforts years in the making. One of the organizations that stepped into a leadership role in AD is the American Council of the Blind (ACB).
The Audio Description Project (ADP) “is designed to promote and advocate for the use of high-quality audio description in television, movies, performing arts, museums and educational materials,” Joel Snyder, PH.D, the project’s director told us in an email. He added, ADP’s goals “are to build awareness of audio description among the general public as well as its principal users, people who are blind or have low vision.”
Started a decade ago, the scope of the project’s work include a Biennial ADP Conference, outreach and education, training courses and mentoring programs for professionals. And, we were pleased to learn there are even ADP Awards. The ADP website provides a comprehensive reference and resource for all things AD.
Audio Described Program Listings are published for:
AD Service Providers
International
Museums and Parks
Performing Arts
TV
DVDs
Movies
Streaming Services
The ADP website is intensive, so take some time to browse. There is a Master List with over 2,000 entries.
If you’re wondering about a specific program, go straight to the website’s search field.
And should you have a question or need assistance, click on the link to “Contact Webmaster” on the bottom of every page; his name is Fred Brack and we found him very responsive and extremely helpful.
Now available on-demand for Broadway shows, museum tours, at the movies, on TV and much more. We’ll talk about how this visual voice fills in the missing detail, vividly.
Speakers include accessibility experts from the Met, MoMA, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and The Broadway League.
Please RSVP for this as seating is limited.
[easy_media_download url=”mailto:[email protected]?Subject=RSVP for September 20 Seminar” target=”_blank” class=”directpdf” text=”RSVP Now”]
The actor enters stage left to thunderous applause. You are not sure who this is, perhaps your loving companion will intuitively whisper the name in your ear, or maybe you’ll recognize the actor’s voice. The theater burst into an uproarious laugh, but you have no idea what was so funny? Even access seating in the first few rows may not be close enough to see the subtle gestures and facial expression. You wish there was a voice in your ear, a narrative track that keeps you in the loop.
Wish granted. That’s right, as of June 1, 2018, Broadway has taken a giant step forward in making live theater more accessible for people with vision and hearing loss. The new inclusivity measures offer audio description and closed captioning at every performance, beginning four weeks from any production’s opening night.
How did they do it? Technology, of course. There are two options available for accessing audio descriptions. One is a simple listening device borrowed from the theater, the other is an app, accessible by smartphone.
An empty theater stage lit with dramatic lights.
Customers can pick up an infrared listening device, at the accessibility kiosk in the theater’s lobby. A state issued ID or passport must be left in exchange for the borrowed device.
The GalaPro app features audio description and closed captioning. It syncs with the show for a real-time accurate experience. The app can be downloaded and set in the theater. Staff at the accessibility kiosk will help you set it up and get started. Airplane mode assures your phone will be quiet during the performance as it runs on private wifi. The app also extends inclusivity to international visitors with a language translation feature.
Broadway has been offering accommodations to its patrons for many decades, on a smaller scale. The current and very ambitious initiative, by The Broadway League, significantly advances the industry’s commitment to creating an inclusive theater experience that potentially impacts more than 20 million adults affected by vision loss, and nearly 50 million Americans experiencing some degree of hearing loss.
Broadway wants to be seen and heard by everyone, so go ahead and give this new technology a try.It might just give you back something you thought was lost.
Here’s a link to Playbill’s video showing Broadway’s new accessible technology.
