The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 BADIE Awards (Benefits of Audio Description In Education), a “Listening Is Learning” initiative of the Council’s Audio Description Project (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP).
The winners of this year’s honors (all young people who are blind) are:
- Grand Prize Winner: Brennan Lamarra – Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach, CA, – Review of The Debaters
Senior Category (ages 16 to 21):
- First Place: Brennan Lamarra – Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach, CA, – Review of The Debaters
- Second Place – Katelyn Divis – Huntington Beach High School, Huntington Beach, CA – Review of Against the Odds: the Rise of Mary Fisher
Junior Category (ages 11 to 15):
- First Place – Jurnee Rust – North Dakota School for the Blind, Grand Forks, ND – Review of Dog Trainer
- Second Place – Tateana Sampson– North Dakota School for the Blind, Grand Forks, ND – Review of Kindness Counts
Sophomore Category (ages 7 to 10):
- First Place – Aaron Martel – Arapaho Classical Magnet School, Richardson, TX – Review of Archie the Brave
- Second Place – Achilleus Budgen – Agnes L. Smith Elementary School, Huntington Beach, CA – Review of The Case of the Missing Day
The premise of the BADIE program is simple: kids love movies. If a young person can’t see or can’t see well, audio description provides access to all the visual images of the movies that their sighted peers enjoy. Description benefits children who are blind and others who have learning disabilities and it has been shown to boost literacy for all children.
The BADIE program asked young people who are blind or have low vision to submit short reviews of any described movie.
“Audio Description uses words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey the visual image from television, film, DVDs, theater, museums and many other settings,” stated Dan Spoone, president of the American Council of the Blind. "The young people honored with these awards not only appreciate the ability to enjoy films and television right along with their peers—description helps them, and their sighted friends, develop language skills through exposure to varied word choice, synonyms, metaphors and similes. I love audio description, and wish I’d had access to it when I was growing up!”
Additional information about ACB’s Audio Description Project is available at: www.adp.acb.org; more information about the Described and Captioned Media Program is at: www.dcmp.org.
About the American Council of the Blind
The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is a national member-driven consumer organization representing Americans who are blind and visually impaired. During the organization’s 60-year history, ACB has become a leader in national, state, local, and even international advocacy efforts. With 68 affiliates, ACB strives to increase independence, security, equality of opportunity, and to improve the quality of life for all people who are blind and visually impaired.
For more information about the American Council of the Blind, contact: Eric Bridges, ACB Executive Director, 1-800-424-8666, or visit www.acb.org.
About the Described and Captioned Media Program
The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) provides premium media designed for students with disabilities and leads as a resource for families and teachers, supported by the Department of Education.
Originally known as Captioned Films for the Deaf, Inc. and later known as Captioned Films and Videos and the Captioned Media Program, DCMP is a national nonprofit founded in 1950 and is managed by the National Association of the Deaf. The DCMP provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.
For more information about the Described and Captioned Media Program, contact: Jason Stark, Director, 1447 E. Main Street, Spartanburg, SC 29307, Voice: 864-585-1778, visit the web site, www.dcmp.org.