“I’m not remarkable, because everybody is.” Pretty great message about students with disabilities from the Apple folks in a very fun package, and of course with Audio Description on YouTube. (Go to the Settings gear -> Audio track -> English Descriptive.) youtu.be/KmFPWxjmnqE

The conclusion of His Girl Friday is here on the podcast! So if you want to binge the whole movie at once, it’s ready to go! megaphone.link/FPMN6829645339

One of the biggest impacts I’ve seen from the unproven idea that people are wrongfully using disability accommodations is that people stop trusting people with disabilities and in fact further restrict, remove, and demonize accommodations for people with disabilities in general

Hey, considering places to donate for Giving Tuesday or just before the end of the year? Check out these places! Canadian National Institute for the Blind: helping provide accessible media is just one of their zillion services for blind, vision-impaired and print-restricted folks. www.cnib.ca/en

Also, check out @sarasoueidan.com's guide on various screen readers and how to set them up on your computer. This resource is hugely helpful, as manual testing with a screen reader will help you catch and fix accessibility issues that can't be identified by automated tests.

Meanwhile, a doc I wrote Audio Description for, about the absurdities of "active shooter preparation" at US schools, might be a fun watch with the family on HBO Max. 😁 www.pbs.org/newshour/sho...

Oh hey, US people, want to listen to a not-annoying (hopefully) podcast to drown out family chatter? My podcast is in the middle of His Girl Friday as an audio drama, just saying. megaphone.link/FPMN1282292754

Woohoo! Episode 1 is up! His Girl Friday! Go get it! evergreenpodcasts.com/movies-for-t...

The incredible, indomitable, inspirational Alice Wong has left us. I'm so grateful to have known her on social media, and so grateful for all the words she shared with us and all the actions she encouraged us into making. May we live up to her example. (so you don't have to go to Instagram)

MOVIES FOR THE BLIND IS BACK! 🥳 A network wanted me to re-boot and we hashed out a deal. First episode 11/20! Old movies and tv shows with Audio Description, as a podcast! Check out the trailer here: evergreenpodcasts.com/movies-for-t... (Alt-text: a mic wrapped a curling strip of film.)

Sobbing at our desks at the Waitrose Christmas ad this morning. 😭 And not just because of the noughties-romcom-worthy romance between Joe Wilkinson and Keira Knightley... www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFDV...

When creating PDFs, avoid using "Print to PDF." A screen reader user may still be able to access the text of PDFs created this way, but heading structure, alternative text, and any other tag structure will be lost. Using "Save As" or "Export" can preserve these tags.

Libraries matter. Access matters. After years of legal battles, the Internet Archive is still here—and still fighting for a world where everyone can read, learn, and remember. @arstechnica.com tells the story: arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...

An accessible gift can say everything, always. Thank you to John Lewis for creating and sharing both audio described and non AD versions of your Christmas advert at the same time. Love lives in gestures like this ❤️ www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsi4...

Folks who use screen readers, etc., please let Sarah know how you use alt-text in bsky images and what your user experience is for reading it and entering alt-text yourself. Thanks! #a11y

The Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) has given millions of students across the United States access to an education. Learn how IDEA came to be, and more about what the law requires. www.youtube.com/watch?v=89_P...

"Several IDEA Part D programs...on Friday received notices from the department that they’ll get their funding only after they certify in writing that their projects align with the Trump administration’s priorities.” www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

There’s only one reason I’d link to something from Us Magazine and that is bc Meghan’s back and so am I writing Audio Description! 🥳 🍞 www.usmagazine.com/entertainmen...

My pals at DCMP have free workshops for teaching with accessibility, & they’re available for continuing education credit, including RID (Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf) and ACVREP (Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabilitation & Education Professionals). dcmp.org/learn/589-on...

If paywalled, here’s the archive today link: archive.ph/g6Zgt

The heck? Just opened Weibo in Chrome (bc I use the Translate extension, which is why stuff is in English)& a big accessibility bar appeared. It even reads pop-up text in English when I have Translate on. I guess they’re introducing it? (The blue image translates as Easily read / service settings)

Tell Congress to fully fund our network: secure.everyaction.com/I6avR5LSvUam...

New Netflix doc I wrote Audio Description for has dropped! Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan talks about the tv legend’s life thru the lens of his efforts to promote equality and diversity. TONS of amazing performance clips. (Yes, even Elvis & the Beatles.) www.netflix.com/ca/title/820...

It’s Wimbledon time and that means some of the best live Audio Description out there in terms of the play-by-play on Wimbledon Radio! The feeds in order are the general one that bounces around locations, the Centre Court feed and the Number 1 Court feed. www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/intera...

This is an amazing effort. bsky.app/profile/vfor...

NEW #BOOMLAWYERED: Lisa Blatt is a powerhouse SCOTUS advocate with an 85% win rate. She also was WAY out of pocket during Monday's oral arguments in a key disability right case, accusing opposing counsel of lying and getting into a fight with Neil Gorsuch.  rewirenewsgroup.com/2025/05/01/w...

Oh hey I missed that this 2-part doc I wrote Audio Description for dropped last week! You just know how proud I was as an Ohioan to work on the first part about the Householder/First Energy scandal 🥳 but don’t worry, there’s plenty of frustrating and timely shenanigans & background for everyone. 🥴

Yeah, oftentimes I find my Canadian stuff by accident. 🤣 Anyway, check it out.

"We want to preserve public health data that are crucial for people's well-being," - social epidemiologist Nancy Krieger, on the value of the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine www.npr.org/2025/03/23/n...

I learned from TikTok that the Meghan show I wrote AD for is out a day earlier than I thought bc FOLKS ALREADY GOT TAKES. 🔥 Which I totally saw coming ofc bc it’s kinda wild. Enjoy! www.netflix.com/title/81770808

1/3 Accessible outfits at the #Oscars you didn't know were accessible, complete with alt text. First up we’ve got Lisa from Blackpink serving high-contrast monochrome power-dressing, and the most beautifully tactile dress from Ariana Grande in a jellyfish-like powder pink gown.

Sometimes I get an editor who reminds me of myself when I was his age being an editor and I’m like, oof but yeah in terms of my life this is fair.

Oh hey, I did AD for this for the podcast! Back when…er…I thought it was in the public domain? 😬🤷🏼‍♀️ Anyway, it is now! The description’s in three parts, also on the Internet Archive! 👍🏻 moviesfortheblind.com/episode-156-...

Yorkshire’s Talking News network brings local news to blind and partially sighted listeners, powered by volunteers and evolving technology | David Robson @yorkshirebylines.co.uk

If your post is 17 clown face emojis long, just know a screen reader says “clown face” out loud 17 times. 🤡

I've just built the playlist of videos from the past 10 years and the total so far is 87 videos lol. This is going to be a fun stream on Monday! Hope to see you there!

Good legal news: 1. A judge temporarily blocks enforcement of trump’s illegal anti- #DEIA executive orders. 2. Civil rights groups file a new lawsuit about how the orders are unconstitutional. Links to both developments in the Updates to my Feb 14 article: www.lflegal.com/2025/02/deia... #Resist

17 states have sued the United States government, asking to get rid of Section 504—which protects people with disabilities from discrimination in health care and human services. The case is called Texas v. Becerra, and @dredf.bsky.social has info and action items. dredf.org/protect-504/

Phenomenal alt-text, not in the "ha ha this is funny but probably unhelpful as actual alt text" way, but in the "damn this is very funny but also beautifully detailed in a helpful way to nail the essence of the images"

Here is recording + transcript of this week’s webinar about court case attacking section 504 in the US. Section 504 is a core disability rights law that is more than 50 years old. Link in 1st comment with more info about how advocates can help. dredf.org/disability-c... #accessibility #disability

Sorry for the short notice but just found out there’s a Zoom call coming up in a half hour about ways to fight the evil case to take down section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which is happening in 17 states. Details in the link. dredf-org.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

If you're seeing encouragement/demands to do alt text and you're overwhelmed or confused about how to do it and you're worried you're going to do it wrong... this thread is for you. First: prompt questions to get you started.

If you have a kid with disabilities, make sure you have a copy of everything from the DOE site dealing with IDEA, Section 504 and 504 plans before tomorrow. This executive order isn't legal unless approved by Congress but most likely the info will be deleted. That info still can be used to advocate.

I should do an intro post I guess. Hi! I’m Valerie & I write, voice & produce Audio Description/Described Video. Movies For the Blind (a riff on Queens of the Stone Age’s Song For the Deaf) was a podcast I did from 2007 to 2019 when I got too busy with work. 🙏🏼 It’s still here: moviesfortheblind.com