National Park Service Receives Achievement Award in Audio Description
OutdoorHub 08.13.12
The National Park Service received an Achievement in Audio Description award in the museums category from the American Council of the Blind at their 51st annual conference and convention last month in Louisville, Ky. The award recognizes the National Park Service’s outstanding contributions to the establishment and continued development of audio description programs in its museums and visitor centers.
“The National Park Service is committed to providing the highest level of accessibility to our programs and facilities for all of our visitors with disabilities,” said National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis. “We are proud that our efforts, often led by our designers at the Harpers Ferry Center, make so many features of our nation’s natural and cultural resources accessible to our visitors who are blind or have low vision.”
During the 1980s, the National Park Service became the first federal agency to produce audio description for its interpretive films and exhibits.
Since then, the National Park Service has been a national leader in providing audio description for visitors with visual impairments in its interpretive programs at visitor centers and museums, including films, exhibits, interactive media, and even ranger-led programs. Most recently, the National Park Service has provided audio description training for media specialists at Harpers Ferry Center and park staff in the National Capital Region.
The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization.
Its members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted individuals who are concerned about the dignity and well-being of people who are blind throughout the nation. Formed in 1961, the ACB is one of the largest organizations of people who are blind in the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates and a nationwide network of chapters and members spanning the globe. Additional information about ACB’s Audio Description Project is available at: www.acb.org/adp.
