A series of lively impressions: Quality narration and the rise of audio description

Abstract

This article investigates the multiple values of audio description (AD) across an increasingly discerning, broad and multi-platform audience of video consumers. While other accessibility features, such as closed captions, are an established aspect of accessible video consumption, AD has more recently emerged as a socially and culturally significant feature for audiences, both with and without vision-based disabilities. This article offers a review of historical accounts of AD and current discussions around both the quality and provision of AD for video. This discussion is presented alongside the findings from our three-way review of the accessibility of the video on demand landscape in Australia. We identify that AD is at a critical juncture, popularised by the rise in audio content and audience demands for personalised viewing options, thus becoming a mainstream entertainment issue as well as an accessibility issue.