The last 30 years have seen and increasing awareness and demand for Audio Description in the United States.
The increased demand for Audio Description has increased the demand for qualified Audio Description practitioners, and for trained describers across the spectrum of race, gender, sexuality, and disability.
Paradoxically, academic Audio Description training programs do not currently exist within the United States. People aspiring to work in Audio Description can only gain knowledge and skills through independent training workshops and on-the-job training and/or mentoring opportunities. Furthermore, there is no certification for Audio Description practitioners as there is for captioners or sign language interpreters.
All of this makes it difficult for employers looking to hire Audio Description professionals. There is no independent verification that an applicant knows anything about it, and matching a qualified Describer with the content as well as with the people consuming that description is a further challenge.
Contact us to learn more about Audio Description certification.
Certified Audio Description Specialist (CAUDES)
To help correct this disservice to the blind and low vision community, Martin serves as the Co-Chair of Audio Description Subject Matter Expert (SME) Committee of the Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals (ACVREP) working to establish the first-ever US certification process for Audio Description Specialists (CAUDES).
The CAUDES certification is designed to formally recognize individuals who demonstrate knowledge and proficiency in Audio Description best practices across various formats and settings, and is specifically for those individuals who write Audio Description language and/or provide quality control for, or editing of, Audio Description.
The certification criteria have been designed to be inclusive and open to individuals across the spectrum of visual acuity, including those who are blind, have low vision, or are sighted. Anyone meeting the eligibility criteria may apply to take the certification exam.
[Note that the certification does not include those who solely voice Audio Description from written scripts (voice talent), or engineers/editors who mix Audio Description soundtracks.]
We believe certification is key to being able to meet the demands of the expanding Audio Description marketplace. An employer who hires a CAUDES can have confidence that the certificate holder has the experience and skills necessary to do the job and create a quality experience for their customers.
The CAUDES certification handbook was approved in December of 2024, and will be posted here.
We anticipate the certification examination to become available starting in 2026, and expect formal academic training programs to be developed thereafter to teach students the knowledge and skills they’ll need to pass this examination.
Contact us to learn more about Audio Description certification.