Audio Description for the Blind
Explore audio description (AD) services for your videos, tours, and live events, improving accessibility for those who are blind or have low vision.
What is Audio Description?
Have you ever heard an extra voice describing the actions or scenery while watching TV? You may have turned on an accessibility feature called audio description (AD). The purpose of this descriptive narration is to ensure that individuals who are blind or have low vision can experience visual content.
Audio description provides spoken narration of important visual details, including character movements, facial expressions, scene transitions, and on-screen text. Since images carry so much information, AD ensures accessibility by describing these elements in a way that flows naturally with the video’s tone and pacing.
What Our Customers Are Saying...
Check out what our New York sign language and caption customers are saying about the inclusive experience!
Overall Rating
Inclusive Communication Services did an amazing job at Cannes Lions Festival for me and my team. They treated us with so much kindness and made sure we had full access to interpreters the whole time. It honestly felt like everything was normal. I got all the information I needed, didn’t feel left out, and could actually enjoy the event without stressing. The team and interpreters were fun, friendly, and just really awesome to work with. Big thanks to all of them
Fantastic first ASL interpretation experience
Inclusive Communication Services was fantastic. They provided two ASL interpreters for a public, two-person artist talk at our small nonprofit exhibition space. Communication with the coordinating team was super quick and efficient responding to our inquiry and getting us set up, and the interpreters were fantastically warm and engaged with the content of our program. This was our first time providing ASL for a program and we will definitely use Inclusive Communication Services in the future as we work to improve our programming's accessibility.
Inclusive Communication Services was fantastic. They provided two ASL interpreters for a public, two-person artist talk at our small nonprofit exhibition space. Communication with the coordinating team was super quick and efficient responding to our inquiry and getting us set up, and the interpreters were fantastically warm and engaged with the content of our program. This was our first time providing ASL for a program and we will definitely use Inclusive Communication Services in the future as we work to improve our programming's accessibility.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Outstanding interpreter!** provided excellent service—accurate, professional, and easy to work with. Highly recommend for anyone needing top-quality interpretation. Will hire again!
ICS provided top-quality ASL interpretation for our virtual and in-person comedy shows! Highly recommend working with them!
We love using ICS for ASL interpretation for our theater productions. The interpreters are always well-prepared and enthusiastic, and communicating with the ICS staff in advance of the event is easy & reliable.
Accessibility is an essential part of inclusion, and Inclusive Communication Services delivered it with excellence at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in France. Their ASL interpreting, CART captioning, and service coordination teams supported our conference stages, networking spaces, and last-minute changes with calm professionalism and deep care. That’s what true inclusion feels like.
ICS has a wonderful coordinator by the name of Aitana. She recently coordinated a team of captioners to close caption the Cannes Lions International Festival 2025, festival/conference Aitana made sure that accessibility/CART was the the forefront and knew what her team needed every session to do their best. Hooray for Aitana! Great job!
Aitana's communication skills are wonderful as she kept in touch with the CART providers and responded to questions promptly. She organized schedules and helped with technical/audio issues. This took her quick-thinking and problem-solving skills to resolve. Aitana is great to work with!
Inclusive Communications Services did an AMAZING job at Cannes Lions! Fabulous work.
I love to see a Deaf interpreter on the stage at conferences! What an amazing experience for me! They are so supportive of the Deaf community, theatres, conferences, and more!
ICS is perfect for our event! This is the second year we have hired ICS to interpret the main stage of our Pocono Pride Festival. They were incredibly easy to work with, we discussed ways to improve from last year, and they even sent a report on how we can improve again for next year! With hours of diverse entertainment, bands, drag shows, group performances, and announcements, ICS was ready to spread the word! ICS is professional, flexible, courteous, thorough, and incredibly friendly. We cant wait to work together for next year!
It was so nice to see ASL interpreting at Pocono Pride during the performances. It made it inclusive for everyone to enjoy the entertainment.
Keep doing what you're doing. Hopefully good things an you keep moving out there an helping the community. 👏👏 Stopped an seen you at pride
My organization had an excellent experience working with Nora from Inclusive Communication Services. Nora was diligent, kind, and always prompt at responding to any questions we had. I would recommend Inclusive Communication Services to anyone!
It was a great experience working with the team. Noel was able to accommodate a last minute request. Dani our interpreter was such a delight to have at our event. She was proactive and supportive to our team. ICS will be my first call for any ASL interpreter needs!!
ICS was so great and helpful! We wanted to include an ASL interpreted show for a play we were performing as part of the NYC Fringe Festival, and ICS was willing to give us a discount in order to work with our budget (and thats considering the fact that they're already pretty affordable compared to the standard interpreting prices). The Interpretors were very friendly and did a great job. They were very understanding when we had technical issues and short turn around during show prep times, were able to accommodate us in having an interpretor who understood some Spanish phrases (one character had minor Spanish incorporated into their lines), and were very supportive of our show in general. I hadn't had the chance to work with interpretors before, and it was just a supportive experience. Can't recommend working with them enough ❤️
I called ICS with a last-minute request for interpreters for a graduation ceremony taking place the next day. They worked with me after business hours and were able to quickly find me interpreters. The interpreters were prompt, easy to work with, and highly professional. ICS truly saved the day for me, and I highly recommend them for customer-friendly, responsive service!
We had a wonderful experience working with Shelby and Inclusive Communication Services for a second time for our theatre performances. Just like the first time, Shelby was incredibly communicative and friendly, and helped secure interpreters who were the right fit for the show. The interpreters took the time to get to know the show really well and clearly put a lot of care into the work. It was a joy to collaborate with them to make the show more accessible and we hope to do so again soon on a future production!
Inclusive Communication Services were wonderful when I reached out to them. They responded quickly to questions and provided the best services possible. With so many interpreters of spoken language and ASL, they're the best option to anyone who may need interpreting services.
ICS was amazing, I had the pleasure of emailing with Shelby who was lovely and so responsive. We had Tyler and Anita interpreting for our event, and they were both skilled, kind, and well-versed. ICS offers amazing services. I highly recommend, we will most definitely use them again.
We had an exceptional experience working with Inclusive Communication Services on a big event last June. They were generous partners for our benefit fundraiser, with a very clear process for preparing the interpreters with the songs they were interpreting. The staff at ICS along with the interpreters carried themselves with the utmost professionalism, adaptability, and friendliness. We look forward to working with them again! (photos courtesy of Elyssa Maxx Goodman)
The ICS team provided excellent and dynamic service to our event. Our show combined the poetic rock musical Hair with lively activist speeches. ICS took our event to the next level, and I couldn’t recommend them highly enough!
Inclusive Communication Services was a joy to work with. Their communications were informative and timely. Not only do they do important work for the deaf community but they helped our organization expand our patronage to include the deaf community. It is The Barn Players wish to not exclude anyone from the magic of live theatre. Inclusive Communication Services made that happen.
ICS has been an amazing partner for the past several years. Most recently, they provided onsite ASL services for the New Year's Eve Ball Drop in Times Square as well as on our free livestream. They also provided ASL services for all 7 classes of our all day yoga event on June 20, 2024. They are professional and dependable!
I love my sweatshirt from ICS and I especially love that their swag shop proceeds support their work with nonprofits! Win win!
The team was really supportive in helping us find excellent, well-matched interpreters for a 2 week program and helping us fill last-minute gaps in our schedule when some non-ICS interpreters canceled. Very responsive, patient, and professional!
I discovered Inclusive ASL through a referral from a colleague in the industry, and they have proven to be reliable partners for translation and interpretation services. I've been a client for over a year now, and I am always confident in the exceptional quality and timely delivery of their services. I’m glad to be doing business with them.
The team at ICS provided an exceptional experience from start to finish. We greatly appreciate the thoughtfulness of the ASL interpreters, their professional manners, and IT savviness. Delighted to be a partner with ICS and look forward to future projects.
What an amazing addition to Comicon! To have a place where people of all backgrounds can gather and experience the glorious pastime that is D&D! ICS truly lives up to its name and I'm eternally grateful to have had this experience!
ICS not only provided essential services at the New York Comic-Con, but created a welcoming space for gamers of all walks of life. I enjoyed quality audio description alongside other gamers with disabilities, and not only felt included but felt valued and part of a growing community. I would love to see similar spaces at more Comic-Cons in the future.
So great to see deaf services and community at new york comic con!
First time seeing an actual INCLUSIVE gaming space. So cool to game in a tactile way. Such a unique gaming experience!
Thank you so much ICS for providing incredible accessible spaces and opportunities for gaming at comic con! It was wonderful talking to you all at your booth! Thank you for being here and the work that you do! So excited to game with you again!
How Does Audio Description Work?
Audio Description (AD), also called “video description,” is a separate narrated audio track that describes what’s happening on screen. The final video product can be delivered in two ways:
- As a separate version of the video with the AD track permanently included.
- As an optional track that viewers can turn on or off, similar to captions, if the platform supports multiple audio tracks.
Standard Audio Description
A well-crafted AD script ensures that the narration complements the original video, maintaining its integrity and emotional impact. Standard audio description is inserted into the natural pauses of dialogue, allowing viewers who are blind or have low vision to access important visual context without disrupting the flow of the content.
Extended Audio Description
When a video has minimal natural pauses, it may not provide enough time to describe critical visual elements. In these cases, extended audio description is used. This technique temporarily pauses the video to allow for longer, more detailed narration, ensuring that complex visuals are fully conveyed and understood.
Audio Description Example
At Inclusive Communication Services (ICS), we help institutions and organizations make their prerecorded videos fully accessible in compliance with ADA Title II and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Ready to enhance your website’s accessibility? Schedule a free consultation with our team today! Check out the 15-second example below of audio description added to a college campus tour video.
Where are Descriptive Audio Services Available?
Audio description services are available in two main settings: as an audio file for videos and tours, and for live events. Here are some examples of where audio description is provided through an audio file in post-production:
- Television & Film: Available as an optional track in video players or as a separate version of the content.
- Theaters: Provided through earpieces or headphones for live and prerecorded performances.
- Museums & Exhibits: Audio-described tours enhance the experience for visitors who are blind or have low vision.
Live Audio Described Performances and Events
While most people associate audio description with movies, TV, and streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+, AD is also available as a live service for real-time experiences.
- Live Performances & Theater: A trained live audio describer provides real-time narration through a headset.
- Conferences & Public Events: Audio description ensures that presentations, speeches, and ceremonies are accessible to all attendees.
From recorded content to live events, audio description transforms the way people with low vision experience the world. Want to learn how ICS can support your accessibility goals? Contact us today!
Find Live Audio Described Events Near Me
Looking for live performances or community events with audio description? Our Accessible Events Calendar makes it easy to find upcoming events near you that offer live AD services. Don’t miss out on inclusive experiences, check it out!