Africa Takes Centre Stage in Global Accessibility Movement

Africa Takes Centre Stage in Global Accessibility Movement

In a packed conference hall overlooking Durban’s North Beach, voices from five continents gathered this week with a shared mission: to make the visual world accessible to everyone.

The inaugural Audio Description in Africa Symposium 2025 concluded on Tuesday evening with the formal establishment of an Audio Description Forum — a move delegates described as a turning point for accessibility across the continent.

For two days, filmmakers, museum curators, government officials, technology developers and blind users themselves debated a central question: how can Africa move from conversation to implementation when it comes to audio description (AD)?

From Symbolism to Substance

The symposium opened with more than speeches. Learners from V.N. Naik School for the Deaf performed the National Anthem in Sign Language, followed by poetry and dance — all supported by live audio description. The moment set the tone: inclusion was not being discussed in theory; it was being demonstrated in practice.

Programme Director Shakila Maharaj (South Africa), founder of ShazaCin Accessible Media and innovator of the describeAT app, positioned the gathering as “infrastructure building” for Africa’s accessibility future. She was joined by co-director Deborah Samukele Khumalo-Dludla (South Africa), founder of the Power24 International Film Festival.

The keynote address by Joel Snyder (USA) — widely regarded as a global pioneer of audio description — challenged delegates to embed AD at the production stage rather than treat it as a compliance afterthought. Snyder, President of Audio Description Associates and author of The Visual Made Verbal, has trained describers in over 60 countries.

Film Industry Faces Accessibility Reckoning

The first major debate centred on cinema.

On the panel were leaders shaping accessibility policy and production worldwide:

  • Bernd Benecke (Germany), Head of Audio Description at Bayerischer Rundfunk and academic authority on AD translation models.
  • Rick Boggs (USA), blind audio production specialist and founder of Audio Eyes.
  • Chihoko Hiratsuka (Japan), founder of AD Cinema Chupki Tabata Tokyo.
  • Sharon Gill (Ireland), head of access services at Telegael.
  • AB Moosa (South Africa), CEO of Avalon Group and key distributor in South African cinema.
  • Eubulus Timothy (South Africa), award-winning writer and director.
  • Austen Obioha (Nigeria), multilingual dubbing and cultural development specialist.

The message was consistent: accessibility must be built into film financing, commissioning and distribution pipelines — not bolted on at the end.

Tourism and Culture as Economic Drivers

Accessibility was framed not only as a human rights issue but as an economic opportunity.

The tourism and arts panel included:

  • Dipendra Manocha (India) and Rummi Seth (India), leaders of SAKSHAM Disability and pioneers of accessible digital libraries.
  • Kojiro Hirose (Japan), Head Curator at the National Museum of Ethnology Osaka.
  • Hiroshi Kawamura (Japan), global universal design expert and former DAISY Consortium President.
  • Ela Gandhi (South Africa), human rights activist and founder of the Gandhi Development Trust.
  • Chris Patton (South Africa), champion of accessible safaris within SANParks.

Panellists argued that accessible tourism expands markets, strengthens heritage engagement and creates employment pathways.

When Art Leads the Way

If policy discussions formed the backbone of the symposium, performance gave it a pulse.

A New African Dawn, choreographed by Siddharthiya Pillay (South Africa), merged Bharatanatyam, Kathak and African music with live audio description as an artistic element rather than an add-on. The performance symbolised societies learning to move in parallel rather than opposition.

Later panels examined real-time AD in theatre and sport, featuring experts such as Roz Chalmers (United Kingdom) and Mary Hanks (USA) — both veterans of live performance accessibility.

 

Technology and AI: Tool or Threat?

Day two shifted toward innovation.

The Technology and AI panel included:

  • Brett Oppegaard (USA), founder of the UniDescription Project.
  • Martijn Van Der Spek (Netherlands), developer of AI description app PiccyBot.
  • Anitha Ramsuran (South Africa), innovation funding specialist.
  • Tracy Smith (South Africa), accessibility specialist and chair of DeafBlind SA.

While AI-generated description tools were acknowledged as promising, speakers stressed that human oversight and ethical frameworks remain critical.

Voices of Lived Experience

Perhaps the most powerful session was the AD Users panel.

Among the speakers were:

  • Kerryann Ifill (Caribbean), award-winning disability rights activist.
  • Nevil Balakrishna (South Africa), disability coordinator at UKZN.
  • Sandra Sermons (USA), government contract specialist and advocate.
  • Hendrick Steyn (South Africa), assistive technology specialist at SANCB.

Their testimonies grounded policy debates in lived reality: access determines independence.

A Forum for the Future

The symposium closed with the endorsement of objectives developed through round table discussions and the formal establishment of an Audio Description Forum.

Regulatory leaders such as Kim Charlson (USA), John Paton (United Kingdom), Phuti Mabelebele (South Africa) and Jace Nair (South Africa) emphasised alignment between policy, innovation and enforcement.

The final event — a screening of an award-winning film “Grey Town Girl” with audio description at Suncoast Cinema — served as both celebration and statement.

Africa, delegates suggested, is no longer catching up in accessibility. It is helping set the pace.

 

YOUTUBE LINKS :

Day 1 : https://youtu.be/BlZIEN5IxSY?si=p0-f2s2TRJzgQUi4

Day 2 : https://youtu.be/3DU9WyS_Cdk?si=T9cMCl84FhA4rVXw

 

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