Indiana State Museum App For Visually Impaired

The Indiana State Museum has just launched an App which will help guide patrons who are visually impaired around the musuem.  "As visitors walk through areas of the museum, an audio tour guides them to different artifacts or interactives, providing descriptive information about each stop on the tour. Specific audio instructions, tactile maps and floor guides create guideposts which make it easier for visitors to navigate the museum."  Use your own iPhone or Android device or borrow one in the museum.  Read the App Announcement.  Let's hope this sets an excellent precedent for other museums!  (Posted Sep 25)

Audio Description Podcast

Eyes on Success offers podcasts discussing products, services, and daily living tips for people with vision loss.  Two recent podcasts discussed audio description:

• Podcast 1834 interviews Rachel Melton of MindsEye Radio who discusses audio description.  MindsEye Radio received a 2018 ADP Achievement Award.
• Podcast 1835 discusses what's involved in creating AD for live theatre for another ADP Achievement award winner, Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY. (Posted Sep 18)

Audio Description Integrated Into a Play

A play in Wales is being presented with integrated audio description (by the cast members) -- a fine example for other play writers!  See The Importance of Being Described ... Earnestly.  (Posted Sep 4)

What's Happening With HGTV, Discovery, Disney?

HGTV and Discovery replaced Disney and TNT on July 1 as networks required by the FCC to utilize audio description.  But where is the AD?  HGTV and Discovery both list numerous programs as having AD tracks, but we aren't sure they are getting out to viewers.  And Disney appears to have dropped AD from all its programming as of July 1.  CAN YOU TELL US WHAT YOU RECEIVE AT YOUR LOCATION?  Either write the webmaster (link at the bottom of the page) or post on the ADP List forum.  Please identify your location and TV provider.  (Posted Sep 4)

Audio Described Movie Review Podcast

Access Tech Watch 360 is offering a free podcast reviewing audio described movies.  The current one runs about 30 minutes and has two visually impaired reviewers reviewing three movies.  Give a listen:  It's Movie Night! Accessible Audio Movie Review.  (Posted Sep 4)

ACB Pushes FCC on TV AD Listings

At the July 2018 ACB Conference, the membership voted on 23 proposed Resolutions, one of which was entitled TV Listings.  The resolution urged the FCC to "to exercise all appropriate authority to require the broadcast and non-broadcast networks to establish and/or join an automated digital listing of all available audio-described programming; and ... monitor such listings on an ongoing basis for quality assurance ..."  (Posted Aug 14)

Tactile Comic Strips

The Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, CA, recently contracted the LightHouse MAD Lab to create a tactile version of one of the original Peanuts comic strips.  While the work can be viewed on request at any time, there will be a special Accessible Tour Day on September 23 at 11:30am which emphasizes tactile objects.  For information, contact monica@schulzmuseum.org.  If you are a museum looking for tactile displays, please contact the MAD Lab.  (Posted Aug 14)

Gaming Video Audio Described

Many people who are visually impaired also like to participate in video games.  While we have no experience with or knowledge of accessible games, we found this video of "Fortnite" very interesting because the owner audio describes what he is doing in the portions of the game he shows.  Very interesting and worth a look!  Fortnite Video.  (Posted Aug 14)