There are many ways to use audio description services. Art Spark Texas, for example, provides audio description services. It offers services in the form of NCI audio descriptions. You can also use Assisted Listening Devices, such as Freesat. Listed below are the different types of audio descriptions available. You can choose the type of audio description service that is right for your production. Once you choose a service, you can relax knowing that your project will be professionally handled.
Art Spark Texas provides audio description services
Art Spark Texas offers a comprehensive range of audio description services, including training and consulting. These services cover the entire spectrum of audio description activities, including live performances, festivals, theatre, meetings, tours, and circuses. Through workshops and interactive exercises, participants learn the techniques and strategies of audio description. Art Spark Texas staff also provides mentoring, coaching, and program evaluation. They help organizations find the best solution for their unique needs.
Whether you are going to a theater play or museum exhibition, audio description services can enhance the experience. For example, the organization has provided audio description services for a performance called K’uku. The play is an audio description of a Quechua word, and is composed by Pauchi Sasaki. The world premiere is scheduled for July 23, 2020. For more information about this project, visit artsparktexas.
The nonprofit organization Art Spark Texas has been recognized nationally for its high-quality programming, and their mission is to eliminate barriers to participation in the arts. The organization’s mission includes fostering personal growth among emerging artists with disabilities, offering access to creative works from diverse communities, and supporting public efforts to be inclusive. Art Spark Texas provides audio description services for the works of local artists, and their performances are featured in events across Texas. The organization also offers specialized arts training for artists, so that they can reach a broader audience.
NCI Audio Description
National Center for Independent Living (NCI) Audio Description Services provide the means for people with hearing and visual impairments to enjoy television, recorded video, and film programming. NCI Audio Description provides concise, accurate descriptions of visual elements during dialogue and other scenes. This service is integrated with the original sound track on SAP channels and may also be used separately on other media. By providing description to the audience, NCI Audio Description Services help programs reach a broader demographic.
Providing descriptive narration of key visual elements, audio description makes visual media more inclusive for students with hearing and vision loss. These descriptions explain actions, gestures, scene changes, and other significant visual information. By providing an audible description of visual content, NCI Audio Description Services provide students with a better understanding of what is being presented on the screen. They also help autistic individuals better understand the emotional cues in video content.
Described Video is a type of audio description service that narrates the essential visual elements in a video. It allows the blind and visually impaired audience to experience content without difficulty. The description is performed by a narrator, who describes the action on-screen. It is also known as video description or descriptive video, and is a trademark of the WGBH Educational Foundation. These services are available free of charge to NCI members.
Assisted Listening Devices
Assisted Listening Devices, or ALDs, are a variety of audio aids that improve a person’s ability to hear. These devices are used to help a person hear speech by amplifying it, thereby minimizing the background noise. As with hearing aids, ALDs can be used on their own or in conjunction with hearing aids. ALDs are especially useful in environments with poor acoustics or loud background noise. FM systems use radio signals to transmit amplified sound directly to a person’s hearing aid. These are commonly used in public settings.
Assisted Listening Devices are designed to supplement existing hearing aids, bone-anchored implants, and cochlear implants. They work best when used in quiet, one-on-one settings. However, there are special situations that require additional listening support. Background noise, for example, can make it difficult to understand speech. If you’re a frequent traveler, an ALD can be particularly useful. For those who need assistance, however, it’s helpful to consider other options.
The American Disabilities Act requires all sound reinforcement facilities to provide assistive listening equipment to those with hearing impairments. The ADA also requires that each building have at least one personal receiver based on the seating capacity of the venue. It also requires churches and religious organizations to have multiple ALDs and other auxiliary aids to improve accessibility. When people need to use personal hearing aids, they may not realize that the facility has an ALD.
Freesat devices
Audio description services is available on BBC1 HD programmes and is an option on many Freesat devices. Audio description is a service that helps blind or partially sighted people to understand what’s happening on screen. It provides commentary about on-screen action. While Freesat users can opt out of audio description, many of these devices support audio descriptions. There are a number of benefits of using audio description, including the ability to read subtitles and body language.
The audio description service is free and available on Freesat devices and digital TV. Freeview, Sky, and Virgin Media cable all provide the service. The BBC’s iPlayer was the first on-demand service to incorporate audio description services. Since then, many ‘on demand’ services have followed suit. And the process is ongoing. Once audio description is available on a Freesat device, you’ll be able to watch it with ease.
NBC
NBC has announced that it will be providing audio descriptions for its Summer Olympics broadcasts. NBC uses the Second Audio Program for the audio description of its television programming. Those who are deaf or hard of hearing will be able to hear descriptions of events in real time. The services are available on many streaming platforms. Below are links to some of the services offered by NBC. You can use any of them to access the audio description service offered by your TV provider.
NBC is the first network to make Paralympics audio description available. This service includes skilled voices describing scenes with context. All events that air on NBC’s USA Network will automatically feature the service. To access the audio description of a specific event, look for the phrase “(AD)” after the event title or “with audio description” in the video summary. During the summer games, audio description was available for all events, including the closing ceremony.
The history channel is owned by Disney and Hearst Communications. The More You Know program airs on Saturday mornings. NBC will start streaming current series on Peacock starting in September 2022. NBC is owned by Comcast subsidiary NBCUniversal. The number of people who are blind is expected to double to eight million by 2050. Providing NBC with accessible video content is a step towards inclusive communities.
Netflix
A new partnership with the American Council of the Blind and the Bay State Council of the Blind will soon make Netflix audio descriptions available to all of their streaming video titles. As of this writing, the service now offers more than 150 audio descriptions of popular TV shows and movies. Netflix will add additional descriptions on a continuous basis. In the past year, audio description content on Netflix has nearly doubled. Currently, the company is working to expand this service to more titles and to more languages.
The audio description feature, or ADR, describes what’s happening on screen, including physical actions, facial expressions, costumes, settings, and scene changes. Most Netflix originals are currently available with audio descriptions. The service is gradually expanding, however, to include more regional and local languages. It will also apply to the company’s original programming. However, some TV shows may not yet feature this service. For these viewers, Netflix offers the option of subtitles, but it is not available on all programs.
While the new service is welcome news for those who want to watch the streaming videos on their computers or TV sets, it does have some limitations. Initially, many blind people had trouble accessing the audio description service on their 3rd-generation Apple TVs and iOS devices. Additionally, accessing audio description via the web was not easy. Nevertheless, Netflix has committed to adding new audio description content on a regular basis. In the meantime, it’s important to note that many users may have to play a TV show for five minutes in order to save their settings.
The Mindy Project
The Mindy Project is a new comedy series produced by the popular actress Mindy Kaling. The show follows the lives of an OBGYN and her co-workers, navigating the awkward situations of working in a medical practice. It has been a hit on television, with fans and critics alike cheering its every move. Listed below are some of the show’s audio description services:
Season one features two different Dolby mixes and English Closed Captioning. The three-disc set comes in a standard DVD case, with a hinged tray to fit all three discs. Each disc also includes an episode guide on the inside of the case and an outer slipcover. For more information, each disc also has deleted scenes. These scenes are often funny and show different directions the story might go. For those with hearing loss or vision impairment, audio description services are very helpful.
The Mindy Project audio description services can also provide an alternate plot line for the show. While the main plot revolves around a business, the storyline is usually presented in a different way. In the first season, Mindy and Danny break up because Danny did not support her career goals, especially after the birth of their son, Leo. However, when Danny offers to work for him, Mindy accepts. After talking about her growing up children, Mindy also asks Danny to help translate a grandmother’s bracelet. She also takes off to attend Annette’s mastectomy surgery.
