Expression of Interest: Training Opportunity for Audio Describers

• Deadline: 1 November 2024

The Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture programme will run from January 2025 to December 2025 and is a celebration of Bradford city and district, taking place across its city, towns, villages and greenspaces. It will showcase the rich history of the district and spotlight its dynamic contemporary culture in all forms; dance and theatre, music and film, visual arts and crafts, food and faith.

Bradford 2025 is looking to train and develop a small team of local Audio Describers to work on performances and events throughout our year of culture and as a legacy for the region. While this is an unpaid opportunity, by the end of 2025 you will have significant experience and be able to offer your services as a freelance audio describer.

Audio Description is the translation of a visual event into an aural event, primarily for audiences who are blind or visually impaired, although audio description also supports the enjoyment for other people too. 

We frame disability through the social model, acknowledging that it is systems, assumptions, and environments that create the disabling barriers. People should feel welcome and comfortable engaging with events. Access is made possible when physical, sensory, cultural, intellectual, financial, emotional, geographic, and attitudinal barriers are removed or reduced. To this end and building on the learning generously shared from previous years, we want Bradford 2025 to be the most accessible and inclusive City of Culture.