[Missouri-l] ADP Young Described Film Critic Awards

[Denny Huff]

For Immediate Release

Contact: Joel Snyder, Director, Audio Description Project

(202) 467-5083

 

American Council of the Blind's Audio Description Project

Announces the 2009 "Young Described Film Critic" Awards

 

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2009 -- The American Council of the Blind (ACB) is
proud to reveal the winners of the 2009 "Young Described Film Critic"
Awards, a "Listening Is Learning" initiative of the Council's Audio
Description Project (ADP) and the Described and Captioned Media Program
(DCMP).   

 

The premise of the Young Described Film Critic program is simple: kids love
movies.  If a young person can't see or can't see well, audio description
provides access to all the visual images of the movies that their sighted
peers enjoy.  Description benefits children who are blind and others who
have learning disabilities and it has been shown to boost literacy for all
children.

 

The Young Described Film Critic program asked young people who are blind or
have low vision to submit short reviews of any described movie.  

 

The winners of this year's honors are:

 

Senior Category (ages 15 to 18):

 

First Place - Jessica Laurie, Georges Mills, N.H. (Kearsarge Regional High
School) for her review of "Father of the Bride"

 

Second Place - Grecia Ramirez, Smyrna, Ga. (Center for the Visually
Impaired) for her review of "The Sound of Music"

 

Third Place - Alexis Griffin, Covington, Ga. (Center for the Visually
Impaired) for her review of "The Sound of Music"

 

Junior Category (ages 11 to 14):

 

First Place - Shanae Bethea, Atlanta, Ga. (Center for the Visually Impaired)
for her review of "The Sound of Music"

 

Sophomore Category (ages 6 to 10):

 

First Place - Cricket Bidleman, San Diego, Calif. (Sunset View Elementary
School) for her review of "101 Dalmatians"

 

Second Place - Ashley Robinson, Ellenwood, Ga. (Center for the Visually
Impaired) for her review of "The Sound of Music"

 

"Audio description uses words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to
convey the visual image from television, film, DVDs, theater, museums and
many other settings,"  stated Mitch Pomerantz, president of the American
Council of the Blind.  "The young people honored with these awards not only
appreciate the ability to enjoy films and television right along with their
peers - description helps them and their sighted friends develop language
skills through exposure to varied word choice, synonyms, metaphors and
similes.  I wish I'd been able to have access to description when I was
growing up!"  

 

Additional information about ACB's Audio Description Project is available at
www.adinternational.org; more information about the Described and Captioned
Media Program is at www.dcmp.org.

 

About the American Council of the Blind

 

The American Council of the Blind is a national membership organization. Its
members are blind, visually impaired, and fully sighted individuals who are
concerned about the dignity and well-being of blind people throughout the
nation.

 

Formed in 1961, ACB is one of the largest organizations of blind people in
the world, with more than 70 state and special-interest affiliates and a
nationwide network of chapters and members spanning the globe.

 

For more information about the American Council of the Blind, contact:
Melanie Brunson, Executive Director, American Council of the Blind, 2200
Wilson Blvd., Suite 650, Arlington, VA  22201;  phone (202) 467-5081 or
toll-free, 1-800-424-8666; or  visit the web site, www.acb.org.