Learn how to make inclusive media that resonates using audio description best practices, filmmaking accessibility, blind-led creative teams, and accessible media strategies.
Let’s skip the fluff:
If you’re still treating accessibility like a checkbox, you’re invisible to the audience you’re claiming to serve.
This isn’t satisfying compliance officers. It’s connecting with real people.
Because most audio description is technically fine. It hits the legal minimum. But that kind? It’s flat. Detached. Pity-soaked.
The kind that lands? It shifts perception. It earns trust. It creates loyalty.
So how do you get there?
This post covers:
— What audio description actually is (and why you’re probably underusing it)
— What separates passable from powerful
— Small shifts that radically improve inclusion
— Why inspiration porn still plagues media (and how to kill it)
What Is Audio Description-And Why Should You Care?
What is audio description and how does it work?
Audio description is narration that describes essential visual details (scene shifts, expressions, text, physical action) in between dialogue. It lets blind and low vision audiences access the story. When done well, enhances it for everyone.
How do you make audio description actually good?
Stop treating it like an add-on. Plan for it early. Involve blind professionals in writing, voice over performing, and reviewing. Treat it like scoring, editing, lighting: it’s part of the story’s texture, not a technical band-aid.
What Powerful Audio Description Does
If your audio description is doing its job, you'll see this:
If your audio description is doing its job, you’ll see this:
— Blind audiences feel represented. Not pitied. Not tokenized. Seen.
— Sighted audiences learn through immersion. Not lectures.
— The whole project feels intentionally inclusive. Not retrofitted.
— You build trust. And that trust turns into community, credibility, and long-term support.
If you’re not getting that? You’ve got work to do.
Small Changes, Big Payoff
the tiny tweaks that elevate your audio description and accessibility:
Plan from Day One
Don’t wait until the final mix. Mark visual moments during storyboarding. Build AD into your budget like sound design.
Hire Blind Creatives
Writing. Narration. QC. If your team is all sighted, you’re not inclusive. You’re performative.
Cut the Inspiration Porn
Stop turning everyday life into hero worship. A blind person crossing the street isn’t your cinematic climax.
Show Blind Joy
Community. Humor. Relationships. Competence. Ambition. That’s what representation looks like.
Make Access Obvious
Stop burying described versions in submenus. Put them on the front page. Make them default. Show the world you value access.
Tailored Tips by Role
For Educators:
Use described media in class. Have students compare versions, then reflect. Build accessibility into core curriculum, not as extra credit.
For Filmmakers & Podcasters:
Budget for it like any other essential. Audio description, captions, transcripts .. these are professional-grade tools for broader reach.
For Studios & Orgs:
Ask better questions. Not “How do we accommodate?” but “Who’s missing from this team?”
Blind creatives belong in the room, and at the head of the table.
Case Study: Possibilities from AFB
The American Foundation for the Blind’s doc, Possibilities, modeled what’s possible:
— All-blind audio description team
— Storytelling with the blind community, not just about it
— Festival awards, classroom resonance, and global screenings
It’s a blueprint. And if they can do it, so can you.
Final Word
If your media isn’t accessible, it’s unfinished.
If your AD was an afterthought, your audience can tell.
And if your work erases blind joy? You’re not telling the truth.
Inclusion isn’t a bonus feature. It’s the foundation.
And it’s damn good storytelling, too.
Ready to Make It Happen?
If this blog post resonates, please share it with your network, friends, and colleagues.
roysamuelson.com/book – Read “A Voice Actor’s Guide To Audio Description Performance” (even if you’re not a Voice Actor)
The ADNA Presents on your favorite podcast platform to hear audio description professionals of all kinds and more
Subscribe for insider conversations at the bottom of every page of roysamuelson.com
Want a team training? We’ll build it with you.
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