Museum audio description: the role of ADLAB PRO

Academic research on audio description (AD) originally focussed mostly on areas where there were clear barriers to accessibility for people with sight loss (PSL), particularly the description of screen products. Later, as audio description research moved from focusing on (dynamic) screen and stage productions into (static) fields such as museums, exhibitions, buildings, zoos, a new approach was required. Museum AD researchers and practitioners, who will be the focus of this chapter, had to get to grips with more fluid parameters related to type of presentation, type of visitor, time allotted and visitor attention span, the logistics of museum premises, the planning of tour itineraries, the collaboration with PSL, the use of tactile exploration and, more recently, the exploitation of other senses. The first part of this chapter will cover a number of the fundamental, critical aspects of museum AD that have been analysed and tested over the years, before leading into the second part which will illustrate the achievements of the European project ADLAB PRO, which include the designing of the professional profile of the audio-describer and the creation of didactic materials for the training of describers in all fields.