By Agate Fossil Beds National Monument
Are you a collector of the NPS park brochures? You must check out the unique audio described version! Mainly for individuals who are blind or visually impaired, audio description is a method of taking visual images and print and turning them into verbal descriptions.
The UniDescription Project is grant-funded out of the University of Hawaii and provides training and data-driven research information for audio description. The founding member, Dr. Brett Oppegard, worked with Michele Hartley from the National Park Service to determine a way to efficiently audio describe the over 400 highly detailed park brochures. Enter the Descriptathon – an intense, 3-day, gamified way to learn about audio description with the end goal of a complete audio version of the park’s brochure.
The staff of Agate Fossil Beds National Monument spent several days in late October with “Team Beardog” for Descriptathon 9. Our team also included volunteers from other park sites and members of the American Council of the Blind. We learned the art of description, practiced it with challenges that pitted us against other national park teams in single elimination tournaments, then focused our new skills on our own brochure.
“Wow! What an awesome and inviting brochure! All those early mornings filled with concentration and laughter and teamwork!” says Team Beardog and American Council of the Blind member Susan Glass.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument placed 7th out of 16 teams and 3 of the members earned the honors of top 20 individual contributors. The real prize, however, is the complete audio-described version of the brochure! It’s available on the UniDescription app in iOS or Android formats. It’s also on our website at https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/park-brochure.htm.
Admission to Agate Fossil Beds is always free. Please visit and check out other accessible items such as Braille brochures and exhibit text in large print.
For more information, contact the park at 308-665-4113.
Agate Fossil Beds National Monument is located 34 miles north of Mitchell, NE or 22 miles south of Harrison, NE on Highway 29 and 3 miles east on River Rd. The Visitor Center summer hours are 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and the trails are open from dawn until dusk. Visit us at www.nps.gov/agfo and on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.