Audio Description for Press Illustrations: Guidelines for Trainers
Audio description has been present in Poland since 2006. On the one hand, it is still very unfamiliar to the general public and fairly unknown even among its target group of visually impaired persons. On the other hand, there is a rapidly growing number of those who are actively involved in the production, distribution and promotion of audio description. They include registered charities, art galleries, museums, fi lm clubs and local culture centres, fi lm festivals and distributors, companies offering Audio Visual Translation services, individual persons, research groups and universities offering courses in audio description. Audio description in Poland is prepared, on a more or less regular basis, for television, cinema, theatre, museums, art galleries, exhibitions (both seasonal and permanent), historical and architecture tours, nature paths and sports events. A new application of audio description was added to that list in 2011, that is audio description used for describing photographs, illustrations and graphics in newspapers and magazines. The aim of this paper is to present the development and the current situation of audio description for the press in Poland. The paper also offers a set of exercises which may be used in the training of audio describers for press illustrations.

Audio description has been present in Poland since 2006. On the one hand, it is still very unfamiliar to the general public and fairly unknown even among its target group of visually impaired persons. On the other hand, there is a rapidly growing number of those who are actively involved in the production, distribution and promotion of audio description. They include registered charities, art galleries, museums, fi lm clubs and local culture centres, fi lm festivals and distributors, companies offering Audio Visual Translation services, individual persons, research groups and universities offering courses in audio description. Audio description in Poland is prepared, on a more or less regular basis, for television, cinema, theatre, museums, art galleries, exhibitions (both seasonal and permanent), historical and architecture tours, nature paths and sports events. A new application of audio description was added to that list in 2011, that is audio description used for describing photographs, illustrations and graphics in newspapers and magazines. The aim of this paper is to present the development and the current situation of audio description for the press in Poland. The paper also offers a set of exercises which may be used in the training of audio describers for press illustrations.