I’m a sighted audio description producer. That means I help coordinate and shape the teams that write, voice, and engineer audio description for films and other media. For a long time, I assumed my role was to help “make visual stories accessible” – to translate images into words.
But the more I’ve worked with blind creatives, the more I’ve had to unlearn.
Seeing the screen seemed to me an unwanted authority. Yet what I’ve learned instead: narrative clarity lives in the choices, not the eyesight.
Blind writers, narrators, engineers, and quality control specialists aren’t relegated to the role of participants. They’re authors. They’re leaders. And they’ve shown me that leadership in storytelling comes from discernment: from understanding tone, emotional alignment, and what serves the story, not from who has eyes on the footage.
When I Thought I Knew What Mattered
Serena said, ‘there was absolutely no sound going on, but it was so many images… what’s the most meaningful and what’s in line with the true spirit of this documentary?’” — Say His Name podcast
“Nefertiti said every word was chosen with care… to cultivate what the visual elements are conveying.” — Say His Name podcast
In those moments, I was I was following their lead.
What Is a Visual Asset Aggregator?
To describe this workflow clearly, I use a term I’ve found helpful:
Visual Asset Aggregator.
Think of it like a research assistant for the eyes. It gathers what’s visible – scripts, screeners, AI interpretations, production notes – and delivers that information without deciding what it means.
The person leading the process who’s blind interprets, directs, and shapes the storytelling.
That’s what authorship looks like:
— Asking sharper questions
— Choosing what details matter
— Defining tone and emotional rhythm
— Protecting narrative clarity for the audience
The aggregator is the tool.
The blind creator is the storyteller.
Case Study: Say His Name and Collective Blind Authorship
In Say His Name: Five Days for George Floyd, the audio description was created and led entirely by blind professionals.
— A blind writer crafted the language.
— A blind performer’s voice.
— A blind engineer mixed it.
— A blind QC specialist refined it.
And each of them brought cultural knowledge, emotional insight, and professional rigor to the process. The result was narratively aligned, powerful, and moving.
They shaped how blind audiences would experience it.
How Be My Eyes Models This Exact Structure
You may already know the app Be My Eyes – where blind users can point their phone’s camera at something and get real-time help from AI or a volunteer.
But here’s what most people miss:
The system responds. The person decides.
— The blind user asks the question
— The AI offers input
— The user redirects or escalates if needed
— They choose when the information is sufficient
This isn’t “AI for the blind.” It’s a decision-support system that protects user authority.
That same structure works in audio description:
— Gather inputs
— Deliver them neutrally
— Let the blind writer decide what matters
Case Study: Possibilities and Fully Integrated Inclusion
Possibilities, the documentary produced by the American Foundation for the Blind, told the story of Helen Keller’s legacy and the lived experiences of modern blind individuals.
But the production itself mirrored the message.
The audio description was created by an all-blind team.
And it didn’t feel like an accommodation. It felt seamless, built into the rhythm of the film, emotionally tuned, and narratively complete.
As AFB’s Tony Stephens said:
“We didn’t want separate but equal. We wanted something fully integrated – and this was it.”
What I've Had to Unlearn
Being a sighted AD producer often comes with unspoken habits:
— Prioritizing visible detail over emotional pacing
— Assuming speed equals quality
— Thinking clarity lives in description, not intention
Here’s what I’ve learned instead:
— Storytelling is about what’s chosen, not what’s seen
— Blind creatives often ask better questions than I do
— My role is to gather and support – not to define
That shift has changed how I work.
What This Means for All of Us
If you’re creating media, designing AI tools, or funding accessibility:
The opportunity is clear.
— Build workflows that center blind authorship
— Design tools that deliver input without deciding meaning
— Compensate blind professionals for their leadership – not just their feedback
— Stop asking “How do we make this accessible?”
Start asking: “Who’s defining the experience?”
Steal These Definitions
Visual Asset Aggregator
A tool – human or AI – that gathers visual information without shaping meaning, enabling blind creatives to lead with full narrative control.
Blind-Led Audio Description
A process where blind writers, narrators, engineers, and QC specialists shape storytelling from start to finish using structured visual inputs.
Inclusive Storytelling
Media created with distributed access to information – but clear creative authority in the hands of those best suited to lead.
final thought
I used to think my job was to translate what I could see.
Now I know:
My job is to support the people who ask better questions than I ever could.
Blind leadership in media is not a future possibility.
It’s already here.
And the more we follow it, the better our stories become.
Want to Go Deeper?
Listen in → The ADNA Podcast
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