During a pre-show tour, audience members at The Coterie Theatre’s 2024 production of Finding Nemo listen to actors introducing themselves
Live theater and cultural events improve the lives of those who attend, but for people with disabilities such as vision loss or blindness, offering adaptations and accessibility services can be the difference between a frustrating evening out and a life-affirming experience. With the aim of helping arts organization expand their current accessibility offerings, the Arts Accessibility Forum (AAF), led by the Audio-Reader Network, is bringing together arts professionals with members of the disability community to discuss improving the quality and availability of accessible arts and cultural opportunities across Kansas City and the Midwest.
One focus of the AAF is Audio Description (AD), a service that provides access to artistic, educational, and visual information through succinct and vivid descriptions of elements that are crucial to understanding the creator’s intention. For example, at a live theater performance, the trained audio describer will mention elements such as stage design, costumes, scene changes, props, visual gags, and read the playbill directly to patrons through discreet headsets. The process does not disrupt the performance, and the describer avoids talking over actors’ lines or singing.
Learning the best practices of AD expands audience impact for the production or event and demonstrates a commitment to equity and inclusion to the community. “The importance of accessibility can often be ignored by people who do not need adaptations or accommodations in their daily lives,” says Martha Kehr, communications and listener outreach coordinator at Audio-Reader. “We encourage the public to gain more understanding on the subject so they can become better allies to the disability community.”
The Visual Made Verbal
Organizations and individuals interested in becoming trained audio describers are encouraged to join the March 12 & 13, 2026 Audio Description Training. This in-person, two-day training will be held at the Lawrence Arts Center in downtown Lawrence, Kansas. Both days of the training will begin at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 5:00 p.m., and lunch will be provided.
Training leader Joel Snyder, PhD began describing theater events and media in 1981 as one of the first audio describers in the United States. He is the president of Audio Description Associates, LLC and the Founding Director Emeritus of ACB’s Audio Description Project. Dr. Snyder has worked with description and trained describers in more than forty states and in more than sixty countries.
During the training, attendees will learn the history of audio description in film and theater, the Four Fundamentals of Audio Description, how to use vivid language, and active visual literacy or the art of “editing what you see and the visual made verbal” according to Dr. Snyder. The Audio Description Institute website says that this training is ideal for anyone interested in working as a freelance description writer for film, television, or advertising, staff within local performing arts organizations, persons interested in expanding accessibility for visual arts or exhibitions, or individuals wanting to add value to their personal or organizational inclusion and accessibility initiatives.
While this training is typically offered virtually at a cost of over $500, thanks to grant support for the Arts Accessibility Forum, Audio-Reader is proud to offer this foundational course in audio description at the reduced cost of $200 per participant. Grant funding for the AAF is sponsored in part by the State of Kansas through the Kansas Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Learn more and register on reader.ku.edu/ADtraining. Questions about the training can be directed to Martha Kehr, at [email protected] or (785) 864-2900.
