When Blind Critics Evaluate Audio Description, the Whole Industry Pays Attention
Alex Howard and Lee Pugsley have been watching movies their whole lives. They’ve also been listening to them — specifically to the Audio Description tracks that give blind and low vision viewers access to what’s on screen.
That’s a different kind of expertise than most film critics bring to the table.
On a recent episode of The ADNA Presents, the hosts of the Darkroom podcast joined me to talk about where Audio Description criticism stands today, how the Blind Film Critic Society is growing, and reinforcing why crediting the full Audio Description team is a from of accountability.
From Consumers to Evaluators
There’s a shift happening in how blind audiences engage with Audio Description, and Alex and Lee are part of it.
Lee named something we’ve positioned in our The ADNA Presents: Audio Description performers aren’t narrators. They’re performers. There’s intentionality, nuance, vocal tempo, inflection — all of it shaped around the story being told. That reframe matters because it raises the stakes. If it’s a performance, it can be evaluated as one. And if it can be evaluated, the people doing it deserve to be named.
Alex pointed out that Amazon and MGM are now crediting performers and writers at the end of Audio Description tracks.
The ADNA Presents has spent more than 250 episodes building the foundation for exactly this kind of recognition — interviewing the performers, writers, engineers, and quality control professionals who make Audio Description work. Darkroom came into that conversation from the other side: blind film critics who watch the work, assess the quality, and can now name the people responsible for it.
When blind critics start holding Audio Description accountable by name, that’s a necessary shift in how the field is measured.
The Line Between Technical and Artistic
One of the most useful things Lee said in the conversation is that his view of Audio Description has changed. What once felt like a technical requirement now reads as an artistic contribution. The word choices, the timing, what’s left out — these are craft decisions. They shape the experience the same way cinematography or score does.
That distinction carries weight when you’re talking about back-catalog titles. Alex noted that the Disney back catalog work — older Fox titles, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures — has been getting Audio Description added, and the quality has improved. Beyond simply getting the job done, some of it is genuinely good.
The gap between compliant and good is where the artistic argument lives. And blind critics are now positioned to describe that gap in public.
What Alex Said About Belonging
Alex talked about still being on his blind journey. He’s visible, vocal, clearly accomplished — and he still has moments where bad Audio Description at a movie theater makes him feel like he doesn’t belong.
Audio Description that fails is an exclusion event. It sends a message that the experience wasn’t designed with you in mind. Alex named it directly.
It’s also an argument for why blind critics evaluating Audio Description roles by name matters. It closes the loop. It connects the work to the experience, and the experience to the people accountable for it.
The Blind Film Critics Society
The Society is small and growing intentionally. Right now it includes Alex, Lee, John Stark, and Ren Leach. To join, you need to be legally blind, watch 25 films released in a given year, and post your thoughts publicly. That’s it.
What they’re building is an institutional voice, a community of blind film critics who can speak with authority about what they watched, how it was described, and whether the work held up.
Ren Leach also performed Audio Description for The Penguin. The overlap between critic and practitioner is one of the things that makes this community distinct.
Where to Find Them
The Darkroom podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else you stream. Search Darkroom with Alex Howard or Lee Pugsley to find it. Follow on Instagram at Darkroom Film Cast. Email darkroomfilmcast@gmail.com for inquiries or to ask about the Blind Film Critic Society.
The full conversation is on The ADNA Presents. If you work in Audio Description — or you’re deciding whether your production needs it — this episode is worth your time.