Description as a reading/literacy tool

I would be interested in hearing from other forum participants about something that’s relatively new to commercial television and even more recently understood as a tool for reading and literacy. I’m speaking of audio description, a technique whereby the visual elements of any media—theater, visual art, media—are made more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.

For the performing arts and media, language is used, in the natural pauses between pieces of dialogue, to provide a verbal version of the visual. In museums, description is an important way to open exhibits to a population that had previously had little access to the items or art on display.

In the same way that captioning can be used in reading and literacy development, description serves the same function for all kids in media or even in with a group of kids sitting in a circle listening to a story being read aloud. For example, a teacher trained in audio description techniques would never simply hold up a picture of a red ball and read the text: “See the ball.” He or she might add: “The ball is red—just like a fire engine. I think that ball is as large as one of you! It’s as round as the sun—a bright red circle or sphere.” The teacher has introduced new vocabulary, invited comparisons, and used metaphor or simile — with toddlers! By incorporating description, a picture is made accessible to kids who have low vision or are blind *and* it will develop more sophisticated language skills for all kids in a new way.

On television, description is now available on a variety of kids’ programs—it will soon debut on Sesame Street. I’m interested in getting your reaction to the use of description as a reading and literacy tool in whatever context—schools, television, libraries, in the arts, etc.