BADIE Contest Blog

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May 9, 2025

Drew M. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Hellen Keller, Anne Sullivan (1928 Newsreel Footage) and Helen Keller Meeting First Lady Grace Coolidge Review

Audio description is a key feature that makes visual content accessible for the blind and visually impaired. This is especially true for educational content and the people at the Described and Captioned Media Program. DCMP are making excellent strides to make all content accessible. I recently had the privilege of watching one of these described videos, and I must say in this instance, the audio description was done perfectly. Everything from the narrator’s voice to the descriptions of the actions that were done on camera, was perfectly executed.

As a visually impaired person myself, this video description was invaluable. I have learned about Helen Keller from a young age but watching actual video footage of her taught me things I did not know. For instance, how she learned to talk. The video description demonstrated how she put one finger on the cheek of the person she is talking too, and another finger on the throat where she could feel the vibrations of the sounds.

Where the video description came in handy was at the very end. because it was an old clip, approximately the last 1 ½ minute of it did not have any sound, only images. I watched this same video previously without video description and this silence made me think the video concluded when it had not. Watching the video later with video description filled in the gaps of my understanding. It detailed Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan’s chat with First Lady Grace Coolidge after Anne Sullivan’s speech, it also shows Grace Coolidge helping Helen down the stairs of the white house portico. This is the point where the video ends.

In summary, the video description helped me pick up on the details that I would have missed had it not been there, which just shows how useful this service can be for visually impaired individuals like myself. The people who provide this description for this and other content, are not just making it more accessible, but more enjoyable as well. I would lastly like to thank everyone involved in this program for giving me the opportunity to sample your content for myself, what you and others in this field are doing is truly great.

May 7, 2025

Deisy J. Essay

Junior Category (Ages 11-15)

Parker Moore Review

Not everyone can see the photos that show up on the screen.That is why audio description is so important for many people. Many people need audio descriptions to better understand what they're seeing. The audio description Parker Moore talks about how her visual impairment doesn't stop her from doing what she likes. It only describes the things that are most important. The voice is suitable, is not too exciting, and not too serious. The video did not contain any errors during the whole video, either.

In Parker Moore it only describes what is the most important for the person to listen to. Like, “Parker Moore reading braille books”. The video only describes what is most important during the whole time. In my opinion, it is better when it only describes what the most important things are. That way the visually impaired people that are listening can concentrate on what the audio description says.

The audio description is suitable for the video. I have seen videos that have descriptions and the video is talking about something serious but the audio description sounded cheerful. Parker Moore's video did not have the same problems. In my opinion, it is correct because they are talking about something serious and it could be confusing. It is something very important so you can’t just put a cheerful voice on a serious video. Parker Moore's audio description was on topic with what was happening in the video.

It is very important that the video doesn't have any errors. This helps whoever is watching Parker Moore doesn't get the wrong information. The audio description is so important because it helps many people to get a better understanding of what is happening during the whole video. It is the describer's job to make sure that the video does not have errors. The small errors can sometimes make a big impact on many people's lives.

In conclusion, audio description is very helpful in life. Audio description should not have any errors so the person who is watching it doesn’t get confused or get the wrong information. It only needs to describe the most important thing. The audio voice needs to match the concept of the video. Parket Moore is accessible for visually impaired people.

May 5, 2025

Jurnee R. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Curiosity Quest: Guide Dogs Review

When watching a show, are all viewers included? Just think about it for a moment. People who are hard of hearing receive closed captions displayed on the screen, while those with both hearing and sight can enjoy a show normally. But what about individuals with visual impairments? Those individuals miss out on what is happening on the screen. They cannot depict with their functional vision what is being shown on the screen within the few seconds it is displayed. That is where audio description comes into play.

I watched an episode of "Curiosity Quest,” that focused entirely on guide dogs. Enabling the audio description feature had its advantages and disadvantages. While watching the video, I took notes on the elements I appreciated and the aspects that I believe could use some improvement while the audio description was enabled. As someone with a visual impairment, I truly appreciate having the option to enjoy shows through alternate ways.

One thing I appreciated about the audio description was its use of rich, descriptive language. It conveyed essential information about what was on the screen in great detail. This helped me understand how people interacted, the words displayed, and even the small objects featured. The audio describer also noted subtle movements made by the individuals in the video. I would never have thought of doing that to describe subtle changes for those with visual impairments. This method was useful for me because the screen on which the video was presented was about five feet away.

When the host asked people from the street a question, a bell sound signified they answered correctly. I appreciated that they added that sound to the video because I could not tell if there was anything on the screen indicating that it was correct. When audio description is enabled, it only starts when there is a pause in the dialogue from the main film. Having the description provided between dialogues instead of during makes it easier to follow the context of the video. So, having the bell rather than words be said helped a lot.

On the flip side, what I did not appreciate as much was that the audio description spoke very quickly, but provided an extensive explanation of what was occurring at the time in the video. When it went fast, I could not follow along as easily or grasp what was happening. If it were slightly slower, it could make the context more understandable. With the information being delivered at a rapid pace, it overwhelmed me, and at times, I struggled to focus on the film. Things moving quickly made my thoughts race and go off track, causing me to feel increasingly anxious. If the audio describer took their time to describe the scene slowly without interrupting the dialogue, that would be a wonderful improvement.

In line with the aspects I believe could be improved, I think for some of the titles on the screen, they should have read them out loud. The audio describer said ¨title¨ when a new topic or question appeared on the screen. I would have preferred if they read the words due to the size of the font used. I think the show host eventually stated what the words were on the screen, but I like to know in advance what things are due to limited vision.

In the end, audio description has its pros and cons, and some people love it while others may not. With certain videos, I appreciate having the option to use the accommodation of audio description. I am going to use this more in the future because I do not pick up on small details as I should. This is a phenomenal tool, and I believe more people should be aware of it.

May 2, 2025

Kendall P. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Curiosity Quest: Guide Dog Review

Hello, I am Kendall from North Dakota who is 17 years old and a junior at public school. I have optic nerve damage in both my eyes from all three brain surgeries, seizures and I had an Ischemic stroke that expanded over time, blood clots in my brain. I’m also color blind and legally blind from all my medical history starting from third grade.

I’ll be sharing my thoughts and opinion on the audio description. I think they could’ve put more emphasis in their tone of voice and not be so monotone. I think they could’ve explained it better to give more details to the story. Also, they should’ve described the pictures and what’s going on in the film better. The person that was doing the audio description was vague and they were not putting any expression when they were talking, so it was really hard to tell if they were mad, sad, happy, and even being expressive. I also think they talked slow, and I may have zoned out for a bit too. I personally think it would be more helpful, and it should be used more often. To be honest with you, the film was lacking a lot of description, emotions, enthusiasm, tone in the voice too, and speed of voice. I think it’s nice to voice my opinion on this.

In conclusion I find that audio description is very useful and should be used more often for people that need this, or that it’s very useful for them. Also, they should think of using more emotions instead of being so vague about the description and describing on what’s going on in the film, Curiosity Quest: Guide Dogs.

May 1, 2025

Laylah G. Essay

Junior Category (Ages 11-15)

Go Tell It On the Mountain Review

Do you ever have a thought in your head, like what is audio description for? Audio description is helpful for the blind and visually impaired individuals, too. I watched Go Tell It On the Mountain and it was consistent because the audio description matched the style of what was happening in the video of Go Tell It On the Mountain. The audio description was also accurate because there were no misleading words in the video. It was also appropriate because the descriptions were suitable for me and there was great language.

The audio description was consistent because the person who was voicing it matched the style of the serious parts in the video very well. The person who was the audio describer was very good and he was very helpful for me to better understand the images and the actions. The audio description was also very consistent because he wasn’t excited when the video had a sad part in it or a death. He wasn’t too serious or too happy, he was just right for every part of the video. The description was also very accurate for the video too.

The voice descriptions were accurate because there were no errors in it when the describer was talking. He was also very clear when he was speaking. I also liked when the audio description told me what was going on in the video. For example, when the describer says “the girl is tearing the ends of the green beans off and putting them in a bowl”. It was very helpful for me because I didn’t know what she was picking off and I didn’t know it was a green bean either. The audio description was also appropriate for me.

The audio description was appropriate because it was suitable for me. It was suitable for me because in the video there were some serious parts and the language was very accurate that the describer was using. I also think it was appropriate because the describer was using concise words. He was also very clear on what he was describing. The audio description is very useful for those who can’t see well or can’t see at all.

I think audio description is recommended for those who have trouble seeing or their eyesight is not very good. That's why I think that the audio description was consistent, accurate, and appropriate for the video, Go Tell It On The Mountain. As a visually impaired student I think that the description was very useful for me to access all the movies!

April 27, 2025

Bennett L. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Overview: Humans Cause Traffic Jams, AI Can Fix Them Review

Although the descriptive narrative in Overview: Humans Cause Traffic Jams, AI Can Fix Them blends smoothly with the video and uses a fitting tone, its brief and incomplete commentary doesn’t add much to the viewer’s understanding.

There are many points in the descriptive commentary where I felt like a comment wasn't needed, or when it was given and didn't provide a complete thought or detail that mattered to me, a consumer of the original video.

The descriptive narrative often felt cramped and forced between two lines of dialogue. While I know a balance needs to be met between not pausing the video to narrate everything and providing enough information to the listener to understand the full context of the piece, I didn't feel that this video struck it. For example, there is a point in the video where they are showing what I can assume are infographic simulations of traffic patterns, all the descriptive narration says is "Simulations run". This description is inadequate in telling me what the simulations are attempting to depict, and this is a point in the video where the presenter does reference these on screen graphics to make the point that autonomous cars do solve most of the "phantom traffic jam" problems that traffic engineers are facing today.

The tone of the describer was calm, professional, and informational. This perfectly complemented the nature of the video, a PBS documentary on autonomous cars. There are some videos or pieces of media which have a very unfitting narrator, one example I can think of right away is getting a somber, serious person to describe a kids movie. I also appreciated the overall quality of the audio in the description. There are a lot of 3rd party descriptions I've heard for videos, and most sound like the person is narrating with their laptop microphone and no clear script. The narration here was clear, concise, and didn't give any unneeded details that distracted me from the main video.

In summary, the narration did add some information to my viewing experience, but it lacked key details which would help me fully understand the video. The narration had a good position in the media, never interrupting the flow of the original video, and the narrator's tone was correct for the media that they were covering.

April 25, 2025

Jiry R. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Curiosity Quest: Guide Dog Review

Hello, my name is Jiry. I am a student at NDVS/SB and I am reviewing audio description in the Curiosity Quest of Guide Dogs video. I feel like the audio description didn’t explain what was going on good enough. If I was fully blind or had worse vision then I have, I wouldn’t know what was going on, and when it described something, I would be confused. Here are a few things I noticed:

The audio description spoke too fast for me. It was hard for me to process what they were saying because of how fast they were speaking. The voice at times, was also very monotone and could have had more emphasis in their voice. When a title comes up, the audio description doesn’t say what the title is, but it sometimes read words that were on the screen.

In my opinion, the audio description could’ve said more, like when they were walking on the rock steps, or when they showed different things, like the dogs and trees. At times, it says a lot of information at once, and sometimes it said what was happening before it happened. A few times the audio description was talking over the people talking in the video, so I couldn’t hear what they said. Towards the end of the video, the audio description got more informative and detailed. It described slight motions like hand shaking, sat up, playing, and that gave me a good idea of what setting they are in. When the host was asking people questions about guide dogs, they would answer, and a ding would go off if they were correct. That sound helped me know that they got the question correct.

Overall, the audio description was not very helpful. It was good in a few parts but could’ve been better. Audio description is very helpful for visionally impaired or blind people. It’s nice that I get this opportunity to give a review on audio description to show how it helped me, and parts that could be better.

April 24, 2025

Markell L. Essay

Senior Category (Ages 16-21)

Curiosity Quest: Guide Dog Review

The world of technology is so advanced. It makes it easier for everyone to watch television, especially with audio description. I’m going to tell you about my opinion on the Curiosity Quest: Guide Dogs program.

First of all, I’d like to say that there was not very much audio description in the program. Also, she did not describe much. For example, there was a scene with a puppy playing with a cat. It showed that picture twice and she did not describe either of them. Another thing I'd like to say, is the scenery in the video was great but she did not describe it at all.

Next, when she did describe things, she was very good at describing the scene. For example, she did a wonderful job at saying the names and the traits of the dogs. She described what color they were. She also did a good job at saying the title of each section of the program.

Finally, I'd like to say that she did talk a little too fast for some. She did talk a little over the dialogue which didn’t really bother me but for some people it may be a little hard to understand. She also did not do a good job saying what breeds of dogs were in the program. For example, a woman was walking with her German Shepherd and she was just said to be a brown and black shepherd dog. This makes it hard to know what breed it is. My last thing I'd like to say is that she sounded like a sad robot. Which is kind of funny but also made it hard to watch because her voice was not very enthusiastic.

This is all I have to say about the video. It was good and it had good quality content but it could have used some improvement because the world of special technology should be for everyone no matter who they are.

April 21, 2025

Errion G. Essay

Junior Category (Ages 11-15)

Coretta Scott Review

Did you know that audio description can also be used by photosensitive people rather than just people with visual impairments? Watching Coretta Scott, the descriptions were very helpful when visualizing. I feel this way because the description was accurate, consistent, and prioritized.

I found no errors in the audio description, the descriptions were accurate. Every time a scene appeared on screen, the describer knew exactly how to describe the scene and used words to best describe it. Being sighted but still visually impaired, I can still see with my glasses, meaning I could see the pictures being described and how accurate the description really was. I find the descriptions have been accurate and that the describer did a great job describing it to the blind and low visioned. An example of this is in the opening scene after the introduction. It was a painting of a woman. The illustration was described as: “in a painting, a woman with brown skin and wavy black hair folds her hands with interlaced fingers.” Using the vision I have, I can analyze and see this information is fact with no errors. There was a consistent pattern when it came to time and tone with the audio description.

The timing with the audio description was consistent. Whenever the scene could be described, the describer would describe in the same manner it always did, simple but descriptive. I found the describer to never pause for too long but never too short of time either. The describer would speak in every scene as they were very easily describable, and the describer would always talk before or after the narrator. The voice was neutral, never too cheerful but never too bland either. The tone of voice was appropriate for the topic of the video. The describer remained completely consistent the whole video, but with consistency comes priority.

The describer knew what to prioritize which consisted of description of location, description of people, and description of environment. An example of this would be: “Before crowded pews, Martin stands behind a podium. She sits in a chair nearby him.”. The most important details were prioritized first: the location of the people, their actions, and setting. The describer left the less important details out because the biggest priorities were setting, people, and actions of the people. The most important information was given top priority which is what helps me visualize better as sometimes I like to use audio descriptions as well. What the describer described was important to the plot in some form, whether it be to help understand, or the information is important later in the story.

I personally feel the audio descriptions for Coretta Scott are great for the visually impaired because the audio descriptions held accurate information, consistency with its time and tone, and prioritized the most important things such as setting, people, and actions. All these factors alone helped me visualize the story even when I wasn’t looking at the screen, these audio descriptions could help the blind and visually impaired visualize as it did me.

April 10, 2025

Hunter M. Essay

Sophomore Category (Ages 7-10)

Curiosity Quest Goes Green: Artificial Turf Review

Have you ever viewed a movie or show with voice description on your T.V.? Have you ever thought about how it works? I was watching a video on artificial turf and I used the voice descriptions. The voice description was average on the video because it was equal and consistent.

The video was equal throughout the whole video and it was very clear. I had access to the visual information. I had a good experience with the video and the voice description. It was very helpful for me as a visually impaired student. The describer describes what the background looks like. He described what the people who are there look like and it also describes what people are doing. For instance here are a few examples of the descriptions, “there is a man with blonde hair and green eyes who is wearing a red shirt”, “string is being wrapped around spools”, and “A woman is operating a big machine”. These descriptions were easy to understand and helped me visualize the video.

The voice describer used appropriate language. He did not use bad language. His voice fit the tone of the video .He told me information to help me understand the video. It worked very well. I had a very good experience with the voice description in this video because the voice description described everything. One thing I disliked was the sound of the voice. The voice did sound robotic. It sounds like a creepy voice like in a horror movie. Other than that it was great! It described the pictures very well and It did not glitch out.

In conclusion, the voice description was very equal and appropriate. As a visually impaired student, I think that voice description is a very useful tool for describing backgrounds and what is on the screen. Even if you cannot see it because the voice description can help people understand the context of the video.

April 7, 2025

Gage S. Essay

Sophomore Category (Ages 7-10)

Talking Jobs - Tech: How Can I Work in VR and Video Games? Review

My name is Gage and I am reviewing Talking Jobs - Tech: How Can I Work in VR and Video Games?. I am blind and I have ONH. Audio Description is important so I can understand videos better.

I will start with the cons. I noticed a few things that the audio description did not describe. First, the audio description did not describe the Pokemon on Mary’s phone. Also, there was a pop-up on the screen with a job description and salary that was not described. I also noticed it didn’t describe the second Mary typing or crashing the cymbals. The timing of the audio description was too early when describing the celery cracking because I couldn’t hear the sound of the celery.

Now, let’s move on to the pros. The timing of the audio description was pretty good. There was usually no action when it was talking. I liked when the audio description described the second Mary holding the saw when she was doing bone surgery. Once it described what the trophy icon said. That was helpful because I don’t know what it says. The audio description described the credits and that was helpful because some people would like to know the information in the credits.

Overall the audio description was good but there were a few drawbacks. Thank you for letting us participate in this competition and listening to our thoughts.

April 3, 2025

Smile S. Essay

Sophomore Category (Ages 7-10)

Curiosity Quest: Harlem Globetrotters Review

Audio Description helps blind and visually impaired individuals know what’s going on in the scenes of a video. The description on Curiosity Quest: Harlem Globetrotters, by Joel Greene, could be more accurate and equal. It could be better by being more accurate because when Joel pointed to the right and went right the audio description said “And he pointed to the side and went sideways.”

This could cause confusion for blind or visually impaired individuals because on a test or a worksheet there could be a question like “Which way did Joel go at the start of the video?” and they would probably get it wrong. I feel like the video could be a little more accurate because when the intro played it could’ve said “Joel catches paper against a treasure map themed background.” Instead of saying “Against a animated background Joel catches paper” and be more detailed and accurate.

The video could also be more equal. It could be more equal by not cutting out the voices that are talking. For example when Big Easy Lofton was giving his speech to the kids, the voice just cut him off, and I didn’t hear part of him talking. Also, I would like it to pause between every scene in the video, when it talks fast and doesn’t pause and it just makes it feel like everything is happening at once. I also don’t like how the voice is dull and doesn’t match the styles and vibes about the images in the video.

As a visually impaired student I feel like these changes will help blind or visually impaired individuals know more information and know what’s going on in the scenes about the video or images, this is why I feel like Curiosity Quest could be more equal, detailed, and accurate.

April 1, 2025

Cora L. Essay

Sophomore Category (Ages 7-10)

Deep Look: Look Inside a Rattlesnake's Rattle Review

Have you ever listened to a book that has audio descriptions? Audio description is a system that is when someone describes the background of a show or video. Audio descriptions are for people that are visually impaired or people with bad eyesight. It helps them imagine the background. I am blind so audio description is very helpful to me. The consistent sei and the accuracy of the person that is describing the story is very important.

In the story about rattlesnakes, I listened to the person describing it and he was not saying a lot at a time. The person also is not giving a lot of details. I think that they should tell more details. I think they should add some details like the color. An example, “the rattle of the rattlesnake is multiple shades of tan and brown.” When they describe the background they mostly just focus on the rattlesnake and its rattle.

The accuracy was definitely good. They were accurate with the rattlesnakes' rattles movement. The audio description explained what was happening when they showed an example on the screen. The person that did the audio descriptions was accurate with the title too. In my opinion they were almost perfect on the accuracy.

In conclusion, the person described takes a deep look into a rattlesnake's rattle. In my opinion I would have added more details. I think they did a good job. They helped me understand what they were talking about. In my opinion, it was one of the best audio described videos I’ve seen.

Learn more about the BADIE contest.

BADIE Winner Presents at ACB Audio Description Awards

Lyla Duffy, winner of the 2024 BADIE essay contest, presented the Barry Award for Education at the 2024 Audio Description Awards Gala. We're proud of Lyla, and she did a wonderful job presenting!

Created in 2021 to recognize outstanding achievement in audio description in entertainment and educational media, the Awards Gala featured celebrity guests, film clips, and a dozen awards. The broadcast of the show included captions, audio description, ASL interpretation, and Spanish dubbing.

Visit ADAwardsGala.org for more information.

Learn more about the BADIE contest.

BADIE Contest Essay Archive

Tags: description, educators, blindness, BADIE