Beauty Buzz/Blog Biz | Audio Description Awareness Day
Editor’s Note
Finally, it’s here! It’s the 2nd Annual Audio Description Awareness Day! And, Bold Blind Beauty is also launching The Audio Description Awareness Challenge (#TADAChallenge). Included in this blog post is an audio exchange between Roy Samuelson and me about what this day is all about and we will also share how you can get in on the #TADAChallenge. The transcript of the conversation is below the audio file.
For those of you who may be wondering what audio description is, in its simplest form it paints an audible picture of visual elements in a movie, television show, and/or video. This separate audio track, spoken during pauses in dialog, allows people like me, who are blind or have low vision full access to on-screen content.
For additional information on Audio Description please visit boldblindbeauty.com/TADA. Enjoy! ~Abby
Transcription
Abby
TADA! Roy, I’m so excited. What is today? It’s April 16 and it’s what?
Roy Samuelson
Hey, Abby, it’s Audio Description Awareness Day.
Abby
I gotta tell you this really funny story before we get into this.
I was telling my friend, I’m gonna go and watch a movie with my friend to celebrate Audio Description Day. And she’s like, what’s Audio Description Day? And I’m like, it’s super fun. And she’s like, well, how do you watch TV Abby? Well, first, I stand on my head, and then I spin around, I’m just kidding. Then I explained to her what we’re doing.
So, audio description is so important, because it makes me feel like I’m at the table, and I can have all these discussions with people. And here I am talking about it because you know how I roll.
So can we kind of talk to people about why it’s so important?
Roy
Oh, yeah. So Bold Blind Beauty stands for A.I.R. and that’s the acronym accessibility, inclusion, and representation. And one of the cool things about audio description is that it covers all three of those. Like, what’s your experience, with audio description Abby?
Abby
I just love the fact that we’re gonna be watching a movie together. And what I love about it the most afterward is when there are the parts that come up; like for you that can see it, and I can’t, is that we can talk about it. And we’re actually having a fruitful conversation and I’m not sitting here going—Oh, dear god, I got to interrupt you again, hit you in the side, like, what are they doing now? Did she fall off the cliff? Wait, what?—I don’t want to work to be entertained.
Roy
That’s a great point it is work, it interrupts the flow of the conversation. It’s kind of that extra speed bump on the freeway that gets in the way. And one of the cool things about audio description is that, you know, it’s created by blind people, for blind people. And specifically, audio description, is you can kind of think about it, like a sports announcer on the radio, giving a play by play of what’s happening on the field. Except in this case, it’s for movies and TV shows where people get access to the visuals.
Abby
Right? And you know, you just made me think of something really cool. Everybody’s podcasting these days, right? I mean, everybody’s got their favorite podcasts. But it’s sort of like that, too, you’re getting that visual. And it’s clicked in my head that that’s audio description too. Because if somebody’s got to clean the house, they want to watch a movie, they can flick on audio description, and that’s your inclusion piece in the A.I.R.
And then I love the fact that I can call up somebody and say, Oh, my gosh, did you see that part? And you hear them pause for a second? Like, how did she know that the car flipped over on that action scene? Well, I can tell you that it did because there’s audio description. You know what I mean?
Roy
That’s great. And that’s the curb effect in that wheelchair users when they cross the street have this curb, so that they can cross the street. And people that don’t use wheelchairs are able to use that curb the same way, even though it wasn’t created for those people that don’t use wheelchairs. I think you’re bringing up a great point that audio description can be for people that are sighted and take advantage of maybe some inside stories that they might not have thought about. Or like you said, maybe they’re commuting, maybe they’re tidying up around the house. Maybe they’re tired of staring at zoom screens all day.
Abby
Yes, and god knows we all are doing that. But I want to get to the good point of this. Let’s give these guys the steps to join us because this is so important because everybody needs A.I.R. And we want to bring the representation that’s my favorite part too. Because we’re on point with that at Bold Blind Beauty. So what is step one of what we’re doing with The Audio Description Awareness Challenge?
Roy
Sure. So you bring it up, like today’s Audio Description Awareness Day. And Bold Blind Beauty is launching The Audio Description Awareness Challenge that’s #TADAChallenge. As you said, TADA Challenge, and there’s really only two steps to it.
Abby
One and two, I love it. So we’re gonna
Roy
- Find a friend to watch a specific TV episode or movie of your choice with audio description.
- And the second step is by the end of the mont h of April, post your experience on social media. And that’s it.
Abby
That’s it with the hashtag TADA.
Roy
Hashtag TADAChallenge.
Abby
I love this so much. And I love being part of Bold Blind Beauty and doing this with you. And I cannot wait to see what everyone’s comments and how they’re gonna experience this because it’s gonna be epically fantastic. Okay, everybody, this is Abby and Roy Samuelson and we’re so excited to be with you!
Roy
Happy Audio Description Awareness Day.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Image Descriptions:
- The header image is a movie screen with a sunset and the audio description symbol (a square image with black letters AD followed by a few end parentheses, suggesting a sound wave, are framed by a black television set shape) in the lower right corner
- Illustration of Bold Blind Beauty’s fashion icon Abby and a friend at the theater watching a movie. The movie screen is the same image in the header. Abby’s explosive black hair is smoothed back so she can wear her teal-colored headphones.