Compliance
What are Audio Description Services? What is Described?
Create audio descriptions that are compatible with the video pertains to the exactness of the visual aspects of a video to enable content engagement for the visually impaired and low vision. The primary purpose behind such a description is to make the video content like television programs accessible for those with eyesight problems.
Audio narratives describe the scenes, emotions, and elements of visual media for the audience with weak vision.
An audio descriptive service describes every element on the screen, including the
What is Audio Description? How do Audio Description Services Help?
Audio description (AD) is a service that provides narrated descriptions of visual elements in media, ensuring accessibility for individuals who are blind or visually impaired. It enhances the experience of movies, TV shows, theater performances, and online videos by describing key visual details, such as actions, settings, facial expressions, and on-screen text, without interfering with the original audio.
In a survey by the American Council of the Blind (ACB), 91% of respondents reported having listened to audio description in the past (69.7 % blind, 21.1 % visually impaired, 8.2 % sighted). Audio description services are an essential tool for increasing accessibility, supporting inclusivity, and enabling a wider audience to enjoy various forms of media.
In the context of video content, audio description plays a critical role in making entertainment and educational materials more inclusive. It helps individuals with blind and visual disabilities to fully engage with the content, ensuring they don’t miss out on essential visual information.
Vanan Services provides professional audio description services, delivering accurate narration, clear timing, natural voiceovers, and compliance with global accessibility standards, enhancing viewer understanding and inclusivity.
What is Described?
An audio descriptive service describes the following elements on the screen so that the viewers can resonate with the character.
-
Emotions
-
Visual cues
-
Lighting
-
Body language
-
Costumes/Clothing
-
Dialogue
-
Dance movements
-
Multimedia effects, etc.
Vanan Services, Inc.
224 West 35th St., Suite 1200-8,
New York, NY 10001.
(646) 481-2955
Monday to Friday, 7am to 10 pm
Our online support is available 24/7. For quick assistance, click the button below.
Get High-Quality Audio Description in Over 100 Languages for Inclusive Media Access
At Vanan Services, we believe everyone deserves access to great content—no matter their abilities. That’s why our audio description services are thoughtfully crafted to include detailed visual narration and high-quality voiceovers.
Our professional scriptwriters with 7+ years of experience develop pre-recorded descriptions that match your content’s tone, delivering a seamless and immersive experience. Whether you're producing films, series, educational exhibits, or marketing videos, our solutions are tailored just for you.
We provide audio description in more than 100 languages, enabling you to reach global audiences with ease. Our services are fully customizable, allowing you to adapt your content to suit different cultures, languages, and regional preferences for maximum impact. In addition to our audio description services, we also offer Russian, Polish, Georgian, Korean, and Spanish subtitling services for seamless multilingual accessibility.
With seamless integration, our services are compatible with various media formats, making implementation quick and hassle-free. Plus, we strictly adhere to accessibility standards, so you can trust that your content meets compliance requirements and serves everyone equally. Call us today at 1-800-230-7918 to get started and request your free quote —we’re here to help you make a difference!
Customization Options Available
-
Choice of male or female voiceover artists
-
Language and dialect selection
-
Volume, tone, and speed adjustments
-
Cultural and content-specific adaptations, etc.
Videos We Provide Audio Description For
Movies and TV shows
Documentaries
Web series and short films
Music videos
Online courses and lectures
Training and instructional videos
Product demos and explainer videos
Corporate presentations
Government awareness videos
Nonprofit campaigns
Educational content
YouTube and social media videos
Event highlights and interviews, and more.
Why Audio Description is Important for Greater Engagement?
In the UK, approximately 87 % of visually impaired people access audiovisual entertainment such as film or television regularly. Visuals with audio descriptions significantly influence the content experience of the people with sight loss, thus making it the foremost reason why audio descriptions are necessary for enhanced content engagement.
Audio description provides a verbal narration of key visual elements, making the content inclusive. Our narratives are synchronized with the highest quality in mind to enrich the experience of the blind.
We follow a professional audio description process to curate narratives in Spanish, English, Russian, and many other major languages. Experience clear and engaging narration that seamlessly integrates with your content, enhancing its accessibility.
Our descriptions also help people with autism to better understand the social and emotional cues conveyed through facial expressions. With more than a decade of experience in the industry, our company offers consistent reliability and a wealth of market expertise in every project we handle.
Some other reasons why a narration for the video may be required:
Who Benefits from Audio Description and Narration?
1. Individuals with Visual Impairments
Enhanced Accessibility
Audio description services provide a crucial bridge for individuals with visual impairments, including those who are blind or have low vision. By offering detailed verbal descriptions of visual elements in media and performances, these services enable this audience to fully engage with and enjoy content that would otherwise be inaccessible.
Greater Inclusion
These services foster inclusivity, ensuring individuals with limited vision can participate in cultural, educational, and entertainment experiences alongside their sighted peers.
2. Educational Settings
Learning Support for Students with Visual Impairments
In educational contexts, Audio Description can be a vital tool for students with visual impairments. It helps them access and understand visual materials, from educational videos to live demonstrations, enhancing their learning experience.
Diverse Learning Styles Accommodation
Audio Description also benefits students who prefer auditory learning. It can help them better grasp complex visual concepts by providing detailed auditory cues.
3. Entertainment Industry
Broader Audience Reach
For the entertainment industry, including film, television, and theater, audio description services expand their audience reach. By making content accessible to those with visual impairments, producers can tap into a wider, more diverse audience. We provide reliable audio descriptions for leading OTT platforms, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, JioHotstar, HBO Max, Hulu, YouTube, Vimeo OTT, Peacock, Paramount Plus, Discovery Plus, Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, Crackle, IMDb TV, etc.
Compliance with Accessibility Regulations
In many regions, providing Audio Description is beneficial and a regulatory requirement. Compliance helps avoid legal issues and promotes a positive public image.
4. Museums and Public Exhibitions
Enhanced Visitor Experience
Museums and exhibitions can use Audio Descriptions to make their displays more accessible and engaging for visually impaired visitors, enriching their experience.
Educational Outreach
These services also support educational outreach efforts, helping museums and cultural institutions to serve a more diverse audience.
5. Elderly Population
Support for Age-Related Visual Impairments
As people age, they often experience a decline in vision. Audio Description can help the elderly engage with various media and live events, ensuring they continue to enjoy these experiences.
Audio Description services are a powerful tool for inclusion and accessibility, catering to various needs and preferences. If you have a specific context, I'd be happy to delve into how Audio Description can be particularly beneficial there.
How Does Audio Description Work? How Are They Created?
We follow the best audio description production process for curating near-perfect results for clients. A highly specialized visual translator goes through your video files and writes the description script after analyzing the visual aspects of the video. Once the script is ready, a voice artist records the narration in the language that the customer requires.
Our voice artists ensure the tone and pitch match the described video in its originality. Our audio descriptions are expertly timed to match the natural flow of your content without disrupting the primary audio.
Once the recording is ready, the audio track is carefully synced with the natural pauses in the original video to make it comprehensible for those with low vision and visual impairment. Our editors follow quality control measures and thorough proofreading to craft the narrative so that it does not overlap with the dialogue in the video.
What is the Purpose of Audio Description Services?
Audio description is an essential requirement today for improving the accessibility of videos for those with low vision. Just as closed captioning aids the hearing impaired, a video description enhances the TV or media viewing experience of the blind.
Closed captioning service plays an integral role alongside audio descriptions in making media more inclusive for individuals with hearing and visual impairments.
Our audio narratives are useful for experiencing content in an eyes-free manner, like podcasts. Get personalized audio description services with options for voice narration types, narration styles, and detail levels suited to your needs.
By crafting high-quality and professional audio narratives, our company strives to do its bit and promote the cause of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) in improving the content access for viewers with vision problems.
If you want to find 24/7 supported professional audio description services at affordable rates, then Vanan Services is the name. Receive your fully described content on time, every time, with our fast and reliable turnaround services (rush delivery within 2 to 24 hours).
Why Choose Vanan Services for Audio Description Services?
The unique features of our audio description services are as follows:
We adhere to ISO standards for closed captioning and audio-described content to deliver successful results. Do we comply with relevant laws and standards for audio description? Yes, our audio description services adhere to all relevant laws and accessibility standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and WCAG guidelines.
Who Are Our Audio Describers?
Our audio describers are a dedicated team of trained professionals with a passion for accessibility. With a deep understanding of visual interpretation and a keen sense of storytelling, they are skilled in capturing and conveying the essence of visual content.
Committed to 99% accuracy and precision, our describers make media more inclusive and enjoyable for everyone. A major streaming platform needed accessible content for its viewers. We delivered relevant audio descriptions for their series catalog, narrating visual elements between dialogues. They have now reached 2.5 million more viewers and achieved full international accessibility compliance.
Supported Media Formats
Extended Audio Description Services to Match All Needs
If the original video does not have enough existing gaps, our team can strategically expand the video by inserting temporary pauses, which creates an extended version of your media and allows the description to be added successfully.
Extended audio narrations are helpful to companies who wish to improve the reach of their content to a lot of viewers. Can we handle large volumes of content? Absolutely, our team is well-equipped to handle large volumes of content. Our audio describers, editors, & project managers deliver high-quality audio descriptions, irrespective of the project's size.
An extended audio description service can be beneficial for the following:
Audio Description With Compliance to Various State Laws
Video producers and broadcasters must provide audio narratives as per the rules laid by entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the National Federation, and federal laws. By complying with those legal requirements, they can avoid any potential lawsuits.
We make sure that all our audio descriptions are meant to enable a greater experience for listeners while being 100% compliant with active laws like;
Other global accessibility standards followed by our team:
WCAG 2.1 / 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
Ofcom Broadcasting Code (UK)
EN 301 549 (European Union Standard)
JIS X 8341-3 (Japan Web Accessibility Standard)
AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Canada)
Australian Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
New Zealand Web Accessibility Standard
We Deliver Precise Narratives When You Work With Us
Being a reputed media solutions provider in the US, we are committed to delivering high-quality audio narratives for our clients. When you choose us as your media partner, we strive to offer industry-leading narratives that appeal to the viewers and retain content engagement all the way through.
An art museum struggled to engage blind visitors effectively. We created vivid audio descriptions for 200 artworks, capturing colors, textures, and compositions. Blind viewers' attendance increased 68%, engagement time doubled, and they gained recognition as an inclusive institution.
As an audio description company, we provide the most accurate audio narratives, just like our closed captions, to make your movies highly accessible. How long does it take to add audio descriptions to a video? The time to add audio descriptions varies based on video length and complexity, but we typically deliver within 2 business days for standard projects.
Get in touch with us to get started right away!
Secure Audio Description Services
Ensure the security and confidentiality of your content with our expert audio description services. We prioritize your privacy by implementing stringent security measures, including robust encryption, to protect your files during transfer and storage.
All our projects are handled under strict Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs), ensuring that your material remains confidential.
Only authorized personnel have access to your content, ensuring that it is handled with the utmost care. Trust us to deliver high-quality audio descriptions while safeguarding your intellectual property, so you can confidently share your content with your audience.
Case Study: English to Spanish – Audio Description Services
Client Information
Client Industry: Entertainment & Media
Location: North America
File Information
File Type: MP4 Video File
Duration: 34 minutes and 47 seconds
Goal
The client required professional audio description services to make their Spanish-language video content accessible to blind and visually impaired audiences. Their goal was to expand viewership and meet accessibility compliance requirements for broadcast and streaming platforms.
The project involved accurately translating visual elements, maintaining narrative coherence, and ensuring voiceover matched the emotional tone and pacing of the original content.
Key Challenges
Highly visual storytelling with limited spoken dialogue, requiring precise and culturally relevant descriptions.
Ensuring seamless integration of audio descriptions without disrupting the original Spanish audio flow.
Tight turnaround timeline to meet an upcoming broadcast deadline.
High expectations for emotional tone alignment with the video’s theme.
Speakers & Languages
Number of Speakers: 2
Languages: English (source material) and Spanish (target content)
Delivery Time
Project Duration: 2 weeks
Strategy
The project team began by analyzing the visual content scene-by-scene to script accurate, concise descriptions that would resonate with Spanish-speaking audiences. Cultural consultants ensured the descriptions were sensitive and localized appropriately.
Native Spanish voice artists were then selected to record the descriptions, with expert sound engineers synchronizing them to the original audio track. Quality assurance included multi-round reviews to ensure clarity, fluency, and technical compatibility.
Results
Fully accessible video that met ADA and WCAG compliance standards.
Expanded audience reach, including visually impaired Spanish-speaking viewers.
Positive feedback from viewers and internal stakeholders on the clarity and emotional engagement of the audio descriptions.
Enhanced brand credibility through demonstrated commitment to inclusivity.
Testimonial
"The quality of the audio description was exceptional—it enhanced the viewing experience for our Spanish-speaking audience and aligned perfectly with our accessibility goals." — Production Coordinator, Entertainment Industry
How to Find Us?
New York, NY 10001.
Tel: (646) 481-2955
Frequently Asked Questions
To add audio description to a video, our experts assess the client’s content first, write a script, and then integrate the description into the secondary audio channel. We use 100% human-recorded narration, ensuring synchronization with the visual track.
A descriptive video service is carried out by an audio description provider. It is a form of audio-visual translation for the visually impaired and blind viewers. It enables those with low vision to know what is going on in the video with the help of narration.
Our audio description services are the most affordable in the industry. The cost of a project varies according to the complexity, volume, language, etc. To get a quote for your project, you can contact our support team.
An audio description script is the written narrative of the visual elements of a video. The narrative includes details about the character, costumes, lights, background, etc.
Several streaming services offer narratives for their content with an aim to improve the accessibility of the content. Streaming giants like Netflix, HBO, Apple TV+, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc., are offering audio description.
This project is an American Council of the Blind initiative to enhance the experience of the visually impaired section of the society. It encourages a high-quality audio narrative for films, TV, theatre, educational material, corporate visuals, etc. Similar to our closed captions, we provide audio services to contribute to this noble project for the visually challenged section of our society.