[Art_beyond_sight_learning_tools] ACB's Audio Description Project--Important Reminders!

Thu Jun 25 03:11:38 UTC 2009

Attention ACB members and all Audio Description Enthusiasts-

Summer is officially here and Audio Description Project activity is heating
up!  Please take note of the following three important reminders:

1) AD Guidelines/Best Practices 

In pursuing one of its objectives, ACB's Audio Description Project has
developed a set of guidelines for the production of audio description in its
various formats.  These standards, intended to a national guide for audio
description producers, were culled from a variety of already existing
excellent documents that address aspects of the process as it's practiced
around the world.  Not wishing to "reinvent the wheel", we culled from these
documents-pulled together the "best of the best"-and now we want to have
description users and providers provide comments on this unique compilation
of material.  We feel that this approach will best reflect a broad diversity
of opinion, process, practice and involvement. 

Visit the Audio
<http://wiki.description-standards.dreamhosters.com/wiki/Main_Page>
Description Guidelines Wiki at:

http://wiki.description-standards.dreamhosters.com/wiki/Main_Page

When you're there, you can review the current draft, other folks' edits and
comments, and make any edits or changes that you feel are useful.  We look
forward to your input!

A significant portion of the Audio Description Project Conference schedule
has been reserved for a thorough review of the comments received.  We invite
you to join the Conference-simply register for the ADP Conference on the ACB
Convention pre-registration material.

2)  Our first annual Audio Description Project (ADP) Conference begins the
week after next (July 6-8 in Orlando, FL) and we invite to join the folks
who have already registered:

- On-line registration is now available through the American Council of the
Blind 2009 Convention registration website at:

https://www.acb.org/convention/register2009-1.html

A few pointers-

a) Click "Continue to the next page" at the bottom of the screen;

b) The next page is for selection of format of ACB Convention registration
materials (ADP Conference materials will be available in large print or
Braille);

c) The next page is for selection of access services or meal choices for the
ACB Convention , as desired;

d) The next page is for selection of format for receipt of Braille Forum
(the ACB magazine);

e) Affiliate Registration Fees-this is the page for registration for the ADP
Audio Description Project Conference (eighth item down) and/or the ADP Audio
Description Project Training (ninth item down).

For your information, an updated version of the agenda for the ADP
Conference is appended at the bottom of this message, below the signature
file.  Join us!

And for those who have an interest in developing skills as an audio
describer, the ADP is interested in you-consider registering for the ADP
Audio Description Project Training (Audio Description Institute) from July
9-11 for an intensive and thoroughly stimulating course of study and
practicum.  Go to www.adinternational.org for more information.

3) The Miracle Worker on DVD with description by the ADP

Be sure to visit www.adinternational.org to order your copy from amazon.com
or directly from SHOUT Factory, the DVD's distributor.  Through a special
arrangement, every copy sold benefits the ACB!  But more significantly, if a
critical mass of this DVD is distributed as a result of description being
added to it, we will convince the distributor to add description to its
ongoing DVD releases.  Not only that-we will have hard data that we can use
to convince other, much larger DVD distributors to begin adding description
to their DVDs.  This would be a huge change in the industry and tremendous
advance for description.

Thanks, all-see you in Orlando!

Joel

JOEL SNYDER

Director, Audio Description Project

American Council of the Blind

202 467-5083 -- jsnyder at acb.org

www.adinternational.org

AGENDA - as of June 23, 2009 (subject to change)

2009 Audio Description Project (ADP) Conference - July 6-7-8, 2009 -
Orlando, FL

An Initiative of the American Council of the Blind (ACB)

Notes: -Mornings are kept open for attendance at ACB Convention plenary
sessions;

-The ADP luncheon is scheduled for Wednesday, May 8 and plenty of snacks and
drinks will be available throughout the session each day; contact
jsnyder at acb.org concerning any special dietary requirements. 

Day I - Monday, July 6, 2009

  1:00 pm-1:30 pm    Welcome/Introduction to the ADP - 

Mitch Pomerantz, President, American Council of the Blind

Kim Charlson, 1st Vice President, American Council of the Blind;

   Chair, Audio Description Project Committee, ACB

Joel Snyder, Director, ADP

  1:30 pm-2:15 pm    Listening Is Learning - a joint initiative of the
Described and Captioned Media

Program (DCMP) and the Audio Description Project - 

Bill Stark, Director, DCMP

Thom Lohman, Communications Services Specialist, DCMP

  2:15 pm-3:00 pm    ADP-"AD International" Web Site:
www.adinternational.org  /

ADP Affiliates Network -

Fred Brack, ADP / ADI webmaster

  3:00 pm-3:45 pm    Special Guest via speaker phone - 

                                                Kareem Dale, Special Advisor
to the President for Disability Policy

  3:45 pm-4:15 pm    break

  4:15 pm-5:15 pm    AD Guidelines/Best Practices - Kim Charlson, Thom
Lohman

  5:15 pm-6:15 pm    AD Certification - Kim Charlson, Bill Stark     

  6:15 pm-6:30 pm    Wrap-up of Day One/Discussion of plans for Day Two

Day II - Tuesday, July 7, 2009

1:00 pm-2:15 pm    Working Groups - discussion of AD Guidelines/Best
Practices including subsets in various genres:  media, performing arts,
visual art/exhibitions

  2:15 pm-3:30 pm    Regroup and Report to full assembly/discussion

  3:30 pm-4:00 pm    break

  4:00 pm-4:45 pm    Video greeting from Michael Copps, Acting Chairman, FCC

Legislative Update - mandate for broadcast description; broadcast
description

In the digital era and the FCC; Department of Education funding -

Eric Bridges, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs, ACB

  4:45 pm-5:15 pm    Special Video/Audio Presentation --

People with Disabilities in the Production of Description - 

Rick Boggs, President, Audio Eyes; Former Director of

Described Media, VITAC

  5:15 pm-6:00 pm    AD Around The World - Joel Snyder and international
guests

Dinner on your own

  8:00 pm                    Screening of Arts & Entertainment Network
documentary

                                    Barack Obama, described by ACB's Audio
Description Project 

Barack Obama tells the story of President Obama, from his childhood in
Honolulu to the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.   It follows Obama through
his teenage struggles for self-identity, his student days at Columbia
University and Harvard Law School, and through his political career in
Chicago, where he rose to fame through a focus on ethics and political
reform.  The video highlights Obama's Democratic primary campaign and his
journey toward becoming the 44th President of the United States. 

Day III - Wednesday, July 8, 2009

  12:30 pm-2:00 pm  Luncheon with speaker - 

Barry Cronin, Ph.D., creator of the Descriptive Video Service, WGBH-TV,
1994; previous positions include Director of Instructional Television for
the National Technical Institute for the Deaf; Director of East Coast
Operations for the National Captioning Institute; Executive Producer, Family
Education Network; recipient of an Emmy Award for the development of
Descriptive Video Service, the Pioneer's Award from the Accessible Media
Industry Coalition, Reynold's Society Achievement Award for development of
closed captioning and audio description, and The Francis Joseph Campbell
Citation from the American Library Association for service to the blind;
currently serves as a consultant for Bridge Multimedia Corporation.

    2:00 pm-3:00 pm ACB/ADP Awards - 

                                    - Young Described Film Critic of the
Year" Awards Presentations

                                    - Achievement in Audio Description -
Media 

                                    - Achievement in Audio Description -
Performing Arts 

                                    - Achievement in Audio Description -
Museums 

                                    - Achievement in Audio Description -
Research

                                    - Barry Levine Memorial Award for 

                                         Career Achievement in Audio
Description

  3:00 pm-3:30 pm    break

  3:30 pm-4:30 pm    Open Sharing / Discussion

  4:30 pm                    Adjourn