Event Description: How should we describe people who vary in terms of race, gender, disability, age and body shape? Why might the identity and voice of the describer matter? Join us as our guest speakers explore the importance of representation and cultural sensitivity in our decisions about who to hire. Learn how the lived experiences of our audio description providers can impact the accessibility of our content, and the experiences of our audience.
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Thomas Reid, moderator. Soon after becoming blind in 2004, Thomas Reid decided to re-ignite a dormant interest in audio production. After years of combining his interest in audio with advocacy, in 2014 he was selected as a New Voice Scholar by the Association of Independence in Radio. During that same year he began his podcast Reid My Mind Radio; where he pairs narrative storytelling with music and sound design bringing you compelling people impacted by all degrees of blindness and disability.
Through his Flipping the Script on Audio Description series, Reid continues to explore the art by going beyond surface level topics and examining its implications on the community.
As a voice talent and Audio Description Narrator, Reid has appeared on several Netflix projects. He facilitates workshops and provides consultations on various accessibility and audio description related topics. Thomas serves as moderator and panelist for discussions on audio description, podcasting, inclusion, adjusting to blindness and more.
Nefertiti Matos Olivares is a fervent advocate for accessible culture, tech, and healthcare. As a blind Latina-American, she brings a wealth of cultural competency to all that she does. Specific to her work as a bilingual Audio Description professional, Nefertiti holds such roles as Narrator, quality Control Specialist, and writer. She strongly believes in doing her part to bring about a world in which universal access is the norm, not the exception.
Ashleigh Braggs is an audio describer and trainer of audio describers. She started creating described experiences for audiences who are blind or have low vision in 2015. She’s had the privilege of describing dozens and dozens of experiences including, live animal presentations, theater, opera and multiple genres of dance. Describing the culture of the Black diaspora represents a particular passion of hers.