Audio descriptions for people with low vision 

Audio descriptions are a rich, immersive way to bring visual moments to life, offering detailed narratives that transform sights into vivid, imaginative experiences for people with low vision or blindness.  

Audio descriptions provide a verbal description of an artwork, exhibit, or other visual medium like a TV show or movie. It’s a great way to keep up with entertainment and culture while experiencing changes to your vision. 

Did you know audio descriptions are typically written and narrated by skilled professionals? These writers carefully craft descriptive scripts that capture the essential visual details, emotions, and context of a scene, ensuring the narration complements the original content without interrupting dialogue or important audio cues. 

Audio descriptions for film and cinema 

For movies, audio descriptions can help fill in the gaps between character dialogue to narrate visual elements important to the plot, helping to keep you up to date with all the latest releases. 

Most major Australian cinemas offer audio description access. Audio description (AD) is generally given in between spoken dialogue and includes anything from descriptions of the characters or the room to messages or subtitles displayed on the screen. Many cinemas are equipped with a system that delivers the audio description through a headset, which is provided when you collect your ticket. The AD generally runs each time the film is shown and is undetectable to anyone not wearing a headset. Check with the cinema to see if your preferred movie session is audio description enabled and if headsets are available or if you can bring your own.

How can I use audio description at home?

On Netflix, audio descriptions are available for most of their original content and some other films and TV shows. Content with audio description available is marked with an icon of the capital letters A and D with three curved lines to the right of the D. 

To access AD: 

1. Begin playing a film or TV show .

2. Depending on your device, either click or tap the screen, or press the arrow button on your TV remote.

3. Select ‘Audio & Subtitles’ located at the top or bottom of your screen and sometimes indicated by a speech bubble icon.

4. Under ‘Audio’, select your preferred language with ‘Audio Description’ displayed next to it. For example, ‘English – Audio Description’.

5. Netflix saves your preferences for next time, so you only need to do this once.

More detailed instructions are available on Netflix’s website. 

What about my other streaming services?

Audio descriptions for select titles are available on all major streaming services, including Amazon Prime, Binge, Disney Plus, Paramount Plus, and Stan. Use the ‘Audio and Subtitles’ button process mentioned above to setup AD on these services. 

For Binge, access audio descriptions by searching the film or TV show name followed by the phrase ‘audio description’. A special version of the content will appear with audio description already enabled, so all you have to do is press play. 

With audio descriptions, you can dive into your favourite shows and movies, stay connected to the stories you love, and enjoy every moment – because entertainment should be for everyone. Get viewing, stay connected! 

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