Audio Description to Allow the Blind To 'See' the Total Eclipse

    WASHINGTON, DC, August 11, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Audio Description Project, an initiative of the American Council of the Blind (ACB), along with the Mid-Tennessee Council of the Blind, the Tennessee School for the Blind and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, announces an opportunity for blind people worldwide to experience the upcoming total eclipse of the sun.

On Monday afternoon, August 21, at exactly 1:27 p.m. (CDT), the sun above Nashville, TN will disappear from view. The sky will go completely dark. But through the use of succinct, imaginative and vivid language -- audio description -- the event will be accessible to the millions of people who are blind or have low vision, or anyone who wishes to experience a verbal version of the visual.

Between 1 and 2 p.m. (CDT) on August 21, Dr. Joel Snyder will host "A Total Eclipse -- Audio Described!" on ACB Radio. Snyder, the director of ACB's Audio Description Project, will present an hour of songs, interviews and special guests, with the main event being described live from the Tennessee School for the Blind between 1:15 and 1:45 p.m. (CDT). Trained Nashville-based describer Julia Cawthon will describe the eclipse as it happens and provide a vivid "translation" of the visual event into words for the benefit of anyone who tunes in.

"Audio description uses the spoken word to provide access to visual images that would otherwise not be accessible to people who are blind or have low vision," stated Kim Charlson, president of the American Council of the Blind. "Audio describers help make so many aspects of our culture accessible. We're delighted to sponsor this program and help people experience this important event."

How to access the broadcast: Go to http://www.acbradio.org/interactive and select "Click Here to Play." Then select the link that opens the player that you use to listen to music or stream internet radio stations. You can also listen on any telephone by dialing (605) 475-8130 and select option 4. If you are using an iOS device such as an iPad or iPhone, install "ACB Link"; open the app, select the radio tab and then tap on the menu button. Select "live streams" and "ACB Radio Interactive," select the play button and the stream will launch.

Additional information about ACB's Audio Description Project is available at www.acb.org/adp.

About the American Council of the Blind

Based in Alexandria, Va., ACB is a membership organization of diverse individuals who come together to protect the civil rights of people who are blind or visually impaired. Through advocacy, education and partnerships with consumer organizations, technology companies and corporations, ACB works to enhance access to information, technology, break down barriers to employment, and strives to improve the equality of opportunity for people who are blind or visually impaired.

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