How do blind people watch – and thoroughly enjoy – movies? It’s called audio description, and though it’s been around for decades, it’s still relatively unknown to many. This week the AD Awards Gala aims for that to change.

The American Council of the Blind has been championing audio description for more than a decade, and with its Audio Description Project (ADP) has advocated for assistive voice narration to be added to film and television across broadcast, cinema, and more recently, streaming television. And this Thursday, the ACB will convene its first ever Audio Description Awards Gala to honor those who have had the greatest impact on bringing quality audio description to the masses.

The event will be streaming live at 7:30 PM EST/4:30 PM PST at adawardsgala.org – and will be available to watch on NBC’s Peacock streaming service through December.

Go here to watch the first annual Audio Description Awards Gala, November 18 at 7:30 PM ET.

Don’t forget: Add the event to your calendar

The star-studded event will include appearances from big names such as Lex Gillette and Jason Momoa, as well as blindness community leaders such as Kim Carlson and Conchita Hernandez. Hosted by podcast and voice actor Thomas Reid, the 1-hour awards ceremony will honor seven companies and/or individuals who have made the greatest impact on audio description. See below for the full list of presenters and guests.

Audio Description has come a long way since its inception more than three decades ago. There’s still a long way to go before everyone can get access to high quality described content; but there have been some major strides made in the last few years alone that have improved blind and low vision access to entertainment, and without a doubt, these are achievements worth celebrating.

The 2021 ACB Audio Description Awards, featuring:

Thomas Reid (Host)

Jason Momoa

Charlie Cox

Erik Weihenmayer

Zachary Levi

Ahmed Fareed

Lex Gillette

Kurt & Brenda Warner

Christian Camargo

Nesta Cooper

Blake Stadnik

Roy Samuelson

Satauna Howrey

Conchita Hernandez Legorreta

Eric Bridges

Kim Charlson

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