Inclusive Design in Practice: Integrating Audio Description into Eclipse Soundscapes Media

This record documents the Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) team’s systematic integration of audio description into its video materials as part of a broader commitment to inclusive design and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles.

Audio description provides spoken narration of meaningful visual elements within a video, ensuring that individuals who are blind or have low vision (BLV) can access information conveyed through imagery, graphics, and on-screen text. In alignment with UDL’s emphasis on providing multiple means of representation, the ES team incorporated audio description into all project-produced videos so that visual information was also available through auditory channels.

Audio description benefits many audiences beyond BLV viewers. It supports individuals who process information more effectively through listening, those engaging with content while multitasking, and viewers accessing media in low-visibility contexts. Designing videos to be understandable through listening as well as viewing strengthens clarity, comprehension, and flexibility for diverse learners.

In addition to audio description, ES videos incorporated closed captions to ensure that spoken content was accessible to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing and to those who benefit from reading along while listening. The team also intentionally used representative images and clear illustrations to support conceptual understanding and provide visual scaffolding aligned with UDL principles. These combined strategies ensured that information was not dependent on a single sensory modality.

When selecting externally created videos for inclusion in project materials, the ES team evaluated them for accessibility and chose only those that could be meaningfully understood through audio alone, visual information alone, and with closed captions. This ensured that shared resources did not rely exclusively on a single mode of access and aligned with the project’s inclusive multimedia standards.

The “Equality vs. Equity” example included in this recording was used as a demonstration piece to illustrate how audio description functions and why multimodal accessibility matters. This example was shared with the broader NASA Science Activation (SciAct) community during an annual meeting as part of a lessons-learned presentation focused on practical accessibility strategies.

This record represents not merely a single modified video, but an applied accessibility methodology. It demonstrates how participatory science initiatives can intentionally integrate UDL principles, multimodal design, and inclusive communication practices into media production and resource selection to support equitable engagement in STEM learning environments.

This video is preserved as part of the Eclipse Soundscapes “Inclusive Design in Practice” documentation series to support transparency, replication, and continued advancement of accessible science communication practices.

General Eclipse Soundscapes Project Information

The Eclipse Soundscapes Project (ES) was a NASA Volunteer Science project funded by NASA Science Activation that studied how solar eclipses affect life on Earth during the October 14, 2023 annular solar eclipse and the April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse. ES revisited a historic study from the early 1900s showing that animals respond to eclipses and used modern technology and public participation to expand that research.

Eclipse Soundscapes was an enterprise of ARISA Lab, LLC and was supported by NASA award No. 80NSSC21M0008. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in materials from the project were those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.