Creating Audio Description: Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Design inclusive audio descriptions for film, theatre, and TV

Audio description (AD) is a key means by which the full diversity of a programme, film, or live performance can be conveyed, allowing for greater participation and engagement from audiences.

On this course, you’ll discover how to approach creating inclusive audio description that encapsulates and promotes equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI).

Improve your cultural awareness training for film, TV, and theatre

You’ll assess how audio introduction and audio description play a vital role in the promotion and communication of EDI to the audience, building your cultural awareness and competency in the process.

Learn how to describe the role and value of inclusive audio descriptions and introductions to a range of arts stakeholders, including audiences, theatre professionals, and funders.

Examine the audio description experience from different perspectives

Assessing the part audio description plays in the promotion and communication of EDI, you’ll examine audio description from both a describer and a performer’s perspective.

You’ll evaluate insights from multiple individuals (including blind/partially blind audience members, audio describers, and theatre professionals) and reflect on your own understanding of EDI.

Study EDI with experts at Royal Holloway, University of London

After conducting the 2019-2020 research project and subsequent report ‘Describing Diversity’ about diversity in audio description and audio introduction in theatre, educators at Royal Holloway are well placed to guide you in the nuance of this topic.

This course brings together the best practices, case studies, and learning resources from this research, allowing you to approach diversity in theatre and beyond with practical tools and enhanced confidence.

This cultural awareness course would appeal to professionals working in the creative industries (including film and TV producers and commissioners), audio describers who want to work in theatre AD or enhance their existing knowledge, and theatre professionals.

• Understanding Audio Description and its relationship with Equality Diversity and Inclusion
• Welcome
• Understand what Audio Description is and where it is used
• What are Inclusive Audio Introductions and Audio Descriptions?
• Understanding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• End of Week 1
• Understanding Inclusive AIs and AD
• Meet a User
• Meet a Describer
• Meet an Actor
• Meet an Artistic Director
• Meet a TV describer
• Describing Diversity
• Default Assumptions
• Understanding Micro-Aggressive Language
• Inclusive Casting
• Thinking about positionality
• Exploring cultural competency
• End of Week 3
• Creating and promoting inclusive AIs and AD
• Self-description
• Creating a new AI
• Promoting inclusive AI/AD to others
• Bringing it all together