Description
Victoria
Creating accessible and inclusive arts experiences for people who are blind or have low vision.
News
- Description Victoria will soon cease trading. You can find a statement from the board about the winding up of the Association here. We thank you for your interest and support over the years.
About Us.
Description Victoria provides professional description services for art and media. Audio description adds live or pre-recorded verbal information to performances, events, exhibitions, and moving images. Designed for people who are blind or have low vision, this information is delivered through a variety of means that complement the work.
Our describers come from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines in art, performance and media, combining their own expertise with expert training in description. We have described for theatre shows, exhibitions, documentary videos, films, fireworks displays and live art experiences. Audio description can be adapted to any work in any medium.
We also provide comprehensive advice and support on marketing your show to audiences with low vision, and consider the experience of your patrons from the first moment they hear about the work, to the time they step out of the venue.
Description Victoria is a registered charity governed by a committee with a majority of members who have a lived experience of blindness or low vision.
Our Work.
We work in accordance with international best-practice standards of audio description. More information about our approach can be found in the ADLAB: Pictures Painted in Words guidelines, and in An Introduction to Audio Description: A Practical Guide by Dr. Louise Fryer (Routledge, 2016).
You can listen to or read about some of our work at the following links:
Read: ‘Sight Unseen’ in The Weekend Australian Review.
Read: ‘I’m done with the bare minimum’ – a response by Blind critic Olivia Muscat to our 2018 Blind & Low Vision Community Engagement Workshop.
Read: A review of our audio described production of Dancing Qweens in Midsumma 2019.
Read: A review of Caca-Capitalismo, an accessible dance film made in collaboration with Jonathan Homsey.
Listen: Descriptions of works at the National Gallery of Victoria, including collection highlights and highlights from NGV Triennial 2020.
Listen: Descriptive pre-show notes from Precarious by Circus Oz.
Our Values.
Equity of access.
We aim to create an experience that is as rich and enjoyable as one had by a sighted audience. Our service is designed to be as inclusive as possible, and reinforce the power of art as a social, human experience.
Audience first.
We listen to our audience when making decisions about how the service is developed and rolled out. We take a robust approach in gathering audience feedback and give patrons the opportunity to voice their opinion on the quality and delivery of the description. We act foremost as advocates for our audience in arts spaces, ensuring their needs are met.
A holistic approach.
We consider the needs of the audience from their very first interaction with the company. This includes the creation of marketing materials in audio and screen-reader friendly formats, designing accessible booking processes, and considering the needs of the audience in arts environments.
Respect for the art.
Practised properly, audio description complements the work it translates. We work to integrate description in seamlessly, rather than imposing it on an experience. This means avoiding unnecessary interruption of dialogue, respecting the world created by an experience, and consulting creatives and cast where necessary on complex or sensitive visuals. We also seek to cast diverse voices that best fit the tone of the experience being presented.
Get in touch.
For enquiries relating to Description Victoria Inc. please email board@descriptionvictoria.com.au
Our founder Will McRostie is still taking enquiries relating to audio description, AD training, and arts sector development. He can be reached by email via his website.
Clients & collaborators.
Arts Access Victoria,
Arts Centre Melbourne,
Arts House,
Arts Project Australia,
Australia Council for the Arts,
Australian Centre for the Moving Image,
Bella Waru,
Brotherhood of St. Laurence,
Circus Oz,
Town Hall Gallery – City of Boroondara,
Darebin Arts,
Experimenta,
Jonathan Homsey,
Malthouse Theatre,
Mama Alto,
Midsumma Festival,
National Gallery of Victoria,
National Exhibition Touring Services (NETS),
NewTheatricals,
Next Wave / Brunswick Mechanics Institute,
RISING Melbourne,
Science Gallery Melbourne,
University of Melbourne / Union House Theatre,
Victorian Opera,
Women’s Circus.
Annual Reports.
Annual Report 2019.
Annual Report 2020.
Annual Report 2021.
(C) 2023, Description Victoria Inc.
ABN 36 434 076 896