Sometimes someone explains their path and you can hear the throughline, the “why.”
In this episode of The ADNA Presents, voice actor Maren Garcia shares how Audio Description found her before she even knew what it was.
She gets an email: “We have a whole feature film that needs Audio Description. Do you want to do it?” They found her through the Disabled Voice Actors Database, specifically for authentic casting.
Her first reaction is the one most of us have when an unexpected opportunity lands in our inbox: “Wait. Is this legit?”
That moment is where a lot of careers quietly split. Fear says no. Curiosity says, “Let me check.”
Maren checked. Then she said yes.
What Audio Description Actually Is
Audio Description is an additional audio track that shares key visual information you can’t get from dialogue or sound alone.
For blind and low-vision audiences, that is the difference between catching fragments and getting the full story.
Maren also names something many people discover once they start using it: Audio Description can help anyone follow a story while multitasking. When the writing is clean and the performance is well-timed, the story stays intact.
Authentic Casting Is A Door
Maren’s first Audio Description opportunity came through a database designed to help casting find disabled voice actors. That’s the kind of system that turns “we care about representation” into actual hiring.
Authentic casting changes outcomes. The work gets better. People who have been adjacent to the industry get a clear lane into it.
Intentionality Is The Invisible Skill
One of my favorite parts of our conversation is when Maren talks about intentionally watching something ultra-visual (a dance show) with Audio Description, just to study what gets chosen and what gets left out.
Audio Description is constant triage. Limited space. Every choice either supports immersion or pulls focus.
Maren connects that discipline to her theater background. It’s the same muscle: empathy, precision, and the ability to stay emotionally honest without getting performative.
When the scene gets intense, that restraint becomes the whole game.
NPC Chronicles: A Soundboard As An Access Tool
Then we pivot to NPC Chronicles, a Kickstarter soundboard project for Dungeons & Dragons non-playable characters.
A soundboard is an audio toolbox, a set of sounds or lines you can trigger on the fly.
Maren frames it as an access and connection tool, inspired by assistive communication devices and her experience working with kids with disabilities, including non-vocal kids. Sometimes all someone needs is a reliable way to participate, to choose, to play.
Her outreach strategy is also worth stealing. She reached out to nonprofits, including organizations in London. More than once, the response was basically: “You must be working hard if you’re reaching out from all the way over there.” A quick laugh, then real momentum. That generosity helped push the campaign past the funding goal and into a stretch goal.
The Moment That Hit Me
Maren tells a story about blind YouTuber Molly Burke including Out of My Mind in a 2024 video about strong disability representation.
Maren hadn’t even seen the film yet when she performed audio description for it. Then she watched it and had the quiet, surprising realization: “Oh. I get it. I did that.”
That’s the kind of contribution people rarely see from the outside, and feel deeply from the inside.
Tiny Usable Wins If You Make Accessible Media
1. Vet The Opportunity Before You Commit
If it’s a new company, confirm basics: rate, scope, deliverables, payment terms, and who your point person is.
2. Treat Audio Description As Storycraft
Build it early. Give it time. Review it like you would any other story-facing element.
3. Pitch Service, Then Make The Next Step Obvious
Maren’s outreach worked because it was simple: why it matters, how to help, what to do next.
Common Questions
Why do some films and shows not have Audio Description?
Because it wasn’t included early in deliverables, nobody owned the process, or the timeline got compressed. There’re other times where the chain breaks, too.
Is Audio Description hard to produce?
It requires story judgment, timing discipline, and quality control, plus enough time to do the work cleanly.
How can I advocate for Audio Description?
Ask who owns it, when it gets built, and how it’s reviewed. Push for process, not promises.
Where To Follow Maren
Maren is @MarenGarciaVO on social platforms.
To hear her interview on The ADNA presents, here’s the weblink
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