Accessibility Camp Coeur d’Alene 2025
“Beyond Compliance: Crafting Audio Description That Audiences Feel”
Here’re some takeaways, a downloadable PDF
(text from the PDF follows download link)
I’m so grateful you joined me for this session, and for the intention you bring to building a world where more people can belong.
This handout above (and text below) includes highlights and takeaways from today’s keynote, along with a few reference links.
I hope these insights support the way you connect, be it across differences, or under pressure; but always with heart.
Audio description goes beyond movies and TV to share meaning. And when we describe what we see with care, we’re including.
Thanks again for showing up in the work you continue to do. As you’re part of something bigger, the work you do matters. Let’s keep building access through belonging.
TAKEAWAYS
1. Accessibility, at it’s core, is connection
Watching a show with my blind friend after he lost his sight reminded me: we weren’t just accessing a program, we were maintaining our bond. We were still “us.”
2. Emotional connection is accessibility
Renee didn’t ask, “What’s happening?” She asked, “How does it feel?” That’s the difference between information and immersion.
3. The focus is on the story, not on you
If I do my job well in AD, you forget I was ever there. You’re inside the scene, not noticing the narrator, but feeling the story.
4. Only focus on what actually helps people follow, feel, and stay with you
Like Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.” In AD, we light a candle, not flood the room.
5. When the door won’t open… sometimes you build your own
When IMDb deleted my credits, I built my own database in a coffee shop. That act of visibility became ADNA.
6. Giving credit changes the conversation
Instead of “That show had AD,” people now say, “Did you hear so-and-so’s narration?” Like knowing the drummer’s solo in a great song.
7. Instead of adversarially fighting, find the win / win approach
A voice actor who loved album art became known for describing it to blind audiences. Her niche became her connection point.
8. Look at the role in a different way
When a blind writer led the AD for an Oscar nominated film, I became her visual asset aggregator. She didn’t need to see it; she led, focusing on what mattered.
9. Find leaders in other fields, and see how their contributions can align with accessibility
A film director friend saw how AD transformed his storytelling. It shifted how he now creates content, even for sighted audiences.
10. Awareness can spill over to so many other areas of accessibility
Once you get it, you get it. It’s a mindset shift.
11. With a little patience and working with others, things can come together
The push to include AD performers in the Television Academy took time, but collaboration (and timing) made the impossible happen.
12. Make space for voices and the whole experience gets better
A QC specialist caught a name error we all missed. Her lived experience didn’t just check boxes, it made the work better for everyone.
13. Your job doesn’t demand you narrate perfectly; it asks you to connect clearly
In AD, cold reads demand clarity in chaos. The goal isn’t polish; it’s presence, pacing, and emotional truth.
14. Talk with your visuals
If you’re narrating over every slide, your voice competes with your screen. Sync your rhythm. Let your message land where it belongs.
LINKS FROM KEYNOTE
Database of AD professionals in Film and TV
Podcast The ADNA Presents
Audio Description Discussion Facebook group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/AudioDescriptionDiscussion
TV Academy Qualifications To Join Includes AD
https://www.televisionacademy.com/academy/organization/peer-groups/performers
Netflix Audio Description Requirements, Including Writer’s Credit
American Council of the Blind’s Keynote Speech, 2020
Possibilities Trailer
Audio Description Awareness Day
https://AudioDescriptionAwarenessDay.com
Roy’s Book:
A Voice Actor’s Guide To Audio Description Performance
Click for Executive Intent Design
Click for More on Audio Description
A video answer to “What is AD?” (From 2024 Comic Con…)
Join the newsletter at RoySamuelson.com/contact
Email roy@roysamuelson.com
Set up a 15 minute call at https://calendly.com/roysamuelson/clarity-call
About Roy…
Roy Samuelson is an author, audio description producer and performer, and an inclusion consultant with over a decade of experience bringing emotional resonance to visual media. He’s produced and performed thousands of TV shows and films, and now teaches companies how to apply those same storytelling skills to their communication. His work bridges access and artistry, helping organizations move beyond compliance to connection. Roy’s mission is to ensure that when people are included, they also feel like they belong.