Working with Audio Describers

Building Skills in Audio Description Consultation for Blind and Low Vision Participants

This interactive online workshop is designed for Blind and low vision participants who are interested in developing the skills to collaborate with audio describers. Through guided discussion, practical listening exercises, and collaborative analysis of audio-described performance, participants will explore how to identify effective description, recognize opportunities for improvement, and communicate constructive feedback that supports both accessibility and artistic intent. Sighted as well as Blind and low vision observers are welcome to join.

Participants will work primarily with archival examples drawn from live performance while exploring how story, character, movement, pacing, language, sound, and visual storytelling contribute to a successful audio-described experience. Led by Rebecca Singh of Superior Description Services and accessibility consultant Vivian Chong, the workshop creates a supportive environment for participants to build confidence, strengthen consultation skills, and contribute to the growing capacity for high-quality audio description in Ottawa and the surrounding region.

Participants will:

• Learn and develop skills for collaborating effectively with audio describers.

• Learn and develop strategies for listening to audio description with intention, considering story, character, pacing, language, sound, and visual storytelling.

• Explore how movement, visual storytelling, and artistic intent influence effective audio description.

• Learn and develop effective consultation techniques that help describers strengthen accessibility while supporting artistic intent.

• Learn about and build confidence in the role of a Blind audio description consultant.

• Learn from fellow participants through collaborative discussion and shared listening experiences.

There are three types of participant ticket types available for this workshop:

Active Participants

Active participation is reserved for Blind and low vision participants interested in developing consultation skills.

• Up to 8 participants from the Ottawa area

• Up to 4 participants from outside Ottawa

Observers

Observers are welcome to attend in a listening capacity. This group may include audio describers, producers, accessibility professionals, artists, and others interested in learning more about the consultation process. Tickets are pick-your-price starting at $10+ service fees.

Subsidized and sponsored tickets available please submit through this Google Form to request if cost is a barrier to your participation.(https://forms.gle/J3uEsWiWw6Hje9f39)

Ticket prices are subject to ticket fees. Please note that all sales are final. 

Rebecca Singh

Rebecca Singh is an audio describer, actor, producer, writer, and accessibility consultant who has been describing film, television, live performance, and visual art since 2011. She is the founder of Superior Description Services, where she has voiced audio descriptions for institutions including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Cirque du Soleil, and the National Ballet of Canada, and written the Canadian chapter of the Routledge Handbook of Audio Description. In 2019, she became the first Canadian audio describer invited to speak at ARSAD (Advanced Research Seminar on Audio Description) in Barcelona, and has described multiple award winning productions including Da Kink in My Hair. Rebecca is passionate about building local capacity by mentoring audio describers and Blind consultants, helping communities move beyond one-time services toward sustainable, lasting practices. Drawing on her background as both an artist and accessibility practitioner, she brings a collaborative approach to training that values curiosity, creative dialogue, and the lived expertise of Blind and low vision participants.

Superior Description Services 

Superior Description Services is a Canadian accessibility practice specializing in audio description, accessibility consulting, and training for the arts and cultural sector. Founded by Rebecca Singh in 2011, the company has produced audio descriptions for institutions including the National Arts Centre and the National Ballet of Canada, and has supported organizations like the Canada Council for the Arts with video descriptions, accessible Zoom sessions, and by supporting a Blind artist's participation on a jury panel. Working alongside Blind and low vision collaborators, Superior Description Services partners with theatres, festivals, museums, municipalities and cultural organizations across Canada to build sustainable, high-quality access programs, focusing on mentorship and local capacity building rather than one-time services. Its multidisciplinary team draws on backgrounds spanning art history, theatre production, and professional writing, and works hand-in-hand with the community it serves at every stage of the process.

Vivian Chong 

Vivian Chong is a theatre creator, accessibility consultant, singer-songwriter, dancer, playwright, and educator dedicated to making the arts more accessible to Blind and low vision communities. For more than a decade, she has worked as an audio description consultant, collaborating with artists and organizations to make theatre, dance, literature, and other cultural experiences more inclusive. Vivian is also an accessible yoga teacher and teaches at a youth camp for Blind and low vision participants. She created an accessible edition of her award-winning graphic novel Dancing After TEN and received the Louis Garfield Playwright Award from Nightwood Theatre. A Dora Award nominee for her performance in Dancing with the Universe, Vivian brings together artistic practice, movement, accessibility, and lived experience to help artists and audiences build deeper, more meaningful connections through inclusive performance and creative collaboration.

Online Zoom format. Audio described content, screen-reader accessible handouts.

Subsidized and sponsored tickets available please submit through this Google Form to request if cost is a barrier to your participation.(https://forms.gle/J3uEsWiWw6Hje9f39)

Thank you to the City of Ottawa Grow Grant in supporting making this workshop possible for the community.