I’ve been an Active member of The Television Academy for a decade or so. For the last few years I’ve also been a member of their Performers Peer Group Executive Committee. Lobbying for inclusion of audio description narration has been a passion and an advocacy of mine for years. Thanks to strategic guidance from the peer group Governors, I’m so happy to share that the home of the Primetime Emmys, The Television Academy, now includes television work in audio description narration as qualifying credits for membership in The Performers Peer Group along with other performing credits, such as on-camera comedy and drama, hosting, commercials, animation and narration voiceover, etc.
https://www.emmys.com/academy/organization/peer-groups/performers
Audio description was created by blind people for blind people. And as more blind professional talents contribute to this work, the work gets better. And as more of the entertainment industry recognizes this work, the more our audiences can have an experience similar to the quality television experiences of sighted audiences.
This precedent of inclusion of television audio description narrators for membership in the Television Academy isn’t an end, but a start in recognizing the entire industry, importance and need for audio description professionals.
