It is no surprise that we have an immense and varied culture in the United States. Yet when it comes to the arts, there is no reason why a person with a visual disability must also be culturally disadvantaged. For communities to sustain their cultural vibrancy, they cannot afford to ignore any portion of the resources available within the community.  In fact, too often people with disabilities-especially people who are blind or have low vision-are not welcome in a community's cultural institutions simply because programs are not accessible in a meaningful way. 

Thus, these audiences are unrealized; moreover, people with physical disabilities are left culturally disadvantaged.

New estimates by the American Foundation for the Blind now state that there are over 25 million Americans alone who are blind or have difficulty seeing even with correction. This astonishing number led me to believe that it is only fair that all people should have access to and be fully engaged in the arts & culture that their respective nation’s have to offer. This cultural immersion, often achieved through access to film, television, theater, museums, and other cultural venues is difficult and sometimes impossible for those with visual disabilities. But if we give a greater focus on people’s abilities, we will come much closer to greater inclusion and total access.

My work stresses the importance of  providing narration of the visual elements—action, costumes, settings, and the like—of theater, television/film, museums exhibitions, and other events to  patrons who are blind or have low-vision so they too can have the opportunity to experience arts events more completely—the visual is made verbal. More specifically, I wanted to focus on using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey the visual image that is not fully accessible to a segment of the population.
 
But through this process, I have also learned that description is also valuable to the rest of us: it allows sighted folks to fully realize the qualities and details of the arts who see but who may not observe.

I like to think of my work as a literary art form; and when I train describers, I emphasize four elements that support the crafting of verbal descriptions: 

1. OBSERVATION:   In his book, Seen/Unseen:  A Guide to Active Seeing, the photographer, John Schaefer, coins the phrase "Visual Literacy."  That's what describers need to nurture.  Schaefer refers to the need to 'increase your level of awareness and become an active "see er."
2. EDIT: Audio describers must then edit or cull from what they see, selecting what is most valid, what is most important, what is most critical to an understanding and appreciation of an event.  Often, only a few precious seconds are available to convey those images.
3. LANGUAGE: We transfer it all to words—objective, vivid, imaginatively drawn words, phrases, and metaphors.  For instance, how many different words can you use to describe someone moving along a sidewalk?  Why say "walk" when you can more vividly describe the action with “sashay,” “stroll,” “skip,” “stumble,” or “saunter”?
4. VOCAL SKILLS: Finally, in addition to building a verbal capability, the describer develops the vocal instrument through work with speech and oral interpretation fundamentals.  Meaning is created with the words we choose and also by the way we say them.  Can you “make sense” by the way you voice the following phrase: That that is is that that is not is not?

Want to hear more from Joel on how audio description can make performing arts, museums and media accessible to an underserved yet vital part of your community? Register for our upcoming webinar, Making the Arts Accessible to Audiences with Disabilities: Focus on Audio and Visual Assistance August 24, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. EDT.