Evaluating alternative styles of audio description in an animated comedy

Audio description is the practice of adding extra auditory cues into visual media to explain visual information to blind and low vision viewers. This thesis investigates the impact of conventional and alternative styles of audio descripton on the blind and low viewers' comprehension, entertainment experience, trustworthiness of the audio description narrative, and style preference. Eighteen blind and low vision participants took part in the study. The participants were divided into two groups, and asked to watch three episodes of the television show Odd Job Jack in a single audio description style. Each participant was asked to complete a pre and post study questionnaire, and a post episode questionnaire at the completion of each episode. Results indicated that the alternative style of audio description provided better understanding, entertainment value and is more trustworthy. Yet, there is no distinct preference among the blind or low vision viewers for either audio description style.