Dinner and a Show


After briefly stopping by the hotel to check in and change into evening attire, everyone was treated to a Chicago classic for dinner - Lou Malnati’s Chicago- style deep dish pizza. Then, it was off to the Cadillac Palace Theatre for an accessible Broadway Chicago production of The Lion King. Juggling over a dozen transmitters, headsets and bundles of cords, chaperones and students worked together to make sure everyone had their own audio description device, and that they all functioned properly.


Also referred to as a video description or described video, audio description is a form of narration used to provide information surrounding key visual elements in a media work for the benefit of audience members who are blind or visually impaired. In theaters, museums, television, and movies, audio description is commentary and narration which guides the listener through the presentation with concise, objective descriptions of new scenes, settings, costumes, body language, and "sight gags," all slipped in between portions of dialogue or songs. It requires specially trained writers to create a separate script that is recorded and synchronized with the media. In a theater, the audio description is delivered live to wireless headsets that patrons wear at their seats.


“[What] I remember most is The Lion King show. I had never experienced it. I was happy to go there,” reflected Angelina, a sophomore. With the audio description, another student, Tyler, explained, “I was surprised because usually not all of them are spot on.” This observation highlights an unfortunate reality for a lot of accessibility efforts. Even when the options are made available, often they come with additional and sometimes hidden challenges. For example, audio description that’s not properly synchronized or devices that don’t function properly.


As if anticipating what she’d experience the following day, Cory started making some observations in the middle of the performance. “I really liked watching The Lion King and seeing how they do all that. In the middle of it, I was watching it, and I was trying to figure out how the stage crew works. That was a really good experience to do that.”


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"THAT WAS A REALLY GOOD EXPERIENCE TO DO THAT.”


Cory, ISBVI Student


Photo Description: A black and white photo shows ISBVI students and staff standing under the theater marquee for Broadway Chicago’s “The Lion King.” Behind them, city lights shine in the Chicago night’s sky.


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