“Kia ora, my name is Ari Kerssens. I live in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland.) I am a creative weird dude, and I am blind. I have a genetic condition that is degenerative, so, when I watch a screen over long periods of time, I get really bad eye strain – I can get headaches and all sorts of bad things.”

“How did I find out about audio description? I have no idea, but it’s incredibly helpful – it’s really groovy. It’s a similar stream of information – it’s just instead of a visual one, it’s an audio one. It’s much more interesting from an engagement perspective, just to explain the concept, and the meaning and the relevance.”

 

Next in the journal:

Audio Description symbol.

Audio Description arrives on TVNZ+

On 20 April 2026, TVNZ announced that audio description (AD) capability has been introduced on its on-demand platform,…

A young man with blonde hair smiles at the camera. He is sitting by a microphone.

Audio description levels the playing field and brings people together, research shows

Earlier this year, we set out to find out more about audio description in Aotearoa. How many people…

The Earcatch logo, a yellow 'E' on a dark blue background.

On-demand audio description app Earcatch winds up, but will continue to be available in Aotearoa

Able launched Earcatch in Aotearoa a year ago – a New Zealand-based library of audio description (AD) made…

A graphic image of an old-school TV with a scene of Pulp Fiction on it.

Blind people watch TV too

Audio description comes as standard on shows streaming on Netflix and other international services. So, Able Chief Executive…

Dan Buckingham, Jai Waite and Rachale Davis are on a stage together. Dan has brown hair, a white button-up shirt and is using a wheelchair, turned away from the camera. Jai is wearing a blue button-up top, using a wheelchair, and is in the middle of speaking. Rachale has blonde shoulder-length hair and a yellow top, looking over at Jai.

Navigating authentic representation of disability

During the annual SPADA conference this year, our CEO Dan Buckingham facilitated a panel with Jai Waite from…

Picture of Virginia Philp (who was part of AD's inception) smiling. She has shoulder length brown hair and brown eyes.

Decade of Able: Virginia Philp, team leader, audio describers

Virginia Philp leads our small crew of audio describers. She overseas everything audio description: recruiting, training and managing…