WildeMouth

Audio Description in the United States

The awareness of and demand for Audio Description in the United States has taken off thanks primarily to two major pieces of legislation:

Greater coat of arms of the United States: A bald eagle holds an olive branch and a bundle of arrows in its talons, a yellow scroll in its beak with the Latin motto "E Pluribus Unum," and supports a shield with thirteen red and white stripes below a constellation of thirteen stars on a blue field at the top.

  • The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA( of 1990, and
  • The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act (CVAA), passed in 2010

The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in various areas of public life, including employment, transportation, and public accommodations. The CVAA ensures that people with disabilities have access to modern communications including smartphones, mobile devices, television services, and other internet-based platforms.

The CVAA has had a significant impact on the accessibility of video programming and other technologies, which has led to increased accessibility for people with disabilities, allowing them to more fully participate in the digital world and access the information and services they need.

The increased demand for Audio Description has also increased the demand for qualified Audio Description practitioners.

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.