2023 Audio Description Project Award Winners

    ALEXANDRIA, VA, July 07, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The American Council of the Blind (ACB) announces the 2023 winners of the Audio Description Project (ADP) Awards. The ADP Awards honor the people and organizations that make outstanding contributions to the quality, availability, and understanding of audio description.

The winners are:

Achievement in Media (Individual): Debra Erickson, Executive Chef and Founder of The Blind Kitchen. The Blind Kitchen provides accessible cooking tools to help people who are blind or have low vision cook safely, independently, and confidently.

Achievement in Museums (Individual): Karen Bergman, for her work at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Karen's descriptions include historical context and make visual art accessible in exciting new ways..

Achievement in Museums (Organization): The North Carolina Museum of Art and its "Sensory Journey through Art" program. These virtual events are designed for adults who are blind, have low vision, or have a learning need that would benefit from a sensory-style experience.

Special Achievement in Museums: Dr. Michelle Edwards of the National Museum of African American History and Culture for her development of a series of virtual tour programs called History Alive.

Achievement in the Performing Arts (Individual): Bonnie Barlow, who has provided live description of more than 258 plays and events, from Amadeus to Wicked, and from ballet to the rodeo.

Achievement in Performing Arts (Organization): The Smith Center for the Performing Arts, which provides live audio description at their Broadway series, along with personalized accessibility assistance.

Public Sector Award: The Space Telescope Science Institute for its description of the images relayed by the James Webb telescope.

International Award: MovieReading, a unique technology that enables audio description (and captioning) to be downloaded to a patron's individual device.

Barry Levine Memorial Award for Career Achievement in Audio Description: Dr. Joshua Miele. This award recognizes outstanding contributions to AD over time by leading, inspiring, or providing service to others. Dr. Miele works as an adaptive technology designer and creates solutions to everyday accessibility problems.

About the American Council of the Blind
The American Council of the Blind is a national member-driven organization representing Americans who are blind or visually impaired. For more than 60 years, ACB has been a leader in national, state, local, and international advocacy efforts. With 68 affiliates, ACB strives to increase independence, security, and equality of opportunity, and to improve the quality of life for all people who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, visit www.acb.org. Learn more about the Audio Description Project at www.adp.acb.org.

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