{"id":11459,"date":"2025-05-16T11:54:33","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11459"},"modified":"2025-05-16T11:54:33","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T15:54:33","slug":"the-joel-snyder-audio-description-archive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11459","title":{"rendered":"The Joel Snyder Audio Description Archive"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the Special Collections Research Center\u2019s most exciting and recent acquisitions is the Joel Snyder audio description archive. Since October 2024, I have had the privilege of processing this collection with the ultimate goal of making it accessible to researchers and the public.<\/p>\n

For decades, Dr. Joel Snyder has been a pioneer and advocate for accessibility, particularly for individuals who are blind or have low vision. Audio description\u2014a service he has championed throughout his career\u2014provides an additional spoken track that narrates the visual elements of various forms of media, including films, television programs, live theater performances, and more. This narration includes descriptions of facial expressions, body language, physical settings, costumes, and on-screen actions, allowing blind and low-vision audiences to fully engage with content that might otherwise be inaccessible.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Dr. Snyder’s contributions to the field extend far beyond traditional media. Over the years, he has written and voiced audio descriptions for a wide array of clients\u2014museums, production companies, theaters, cruise lines, and more. Notably, one of his longstanding collaborations has been with the National Park Service. Through this partnership, he has developed and recorded numerous audio description tours for national parks, historic sites, forests, and battlefields, significantly expanding accessibility across our public lands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

While processing this collection, I came across a set of handwritten notes that Dr. Snyder created while drafting the audio description tour for Dry Tortugas National Park in Key West, Florida. These pages offer a glimpse into the careful planning and consideration that goes into creating a descriptive tour. His notes include detailed spatial and directional guidance, such as: \u201c180 degrees onto brick and fresh grass, slight decline, cannon on right, 50-foot wood platform, another 15 feet to stairwell<\/em>.\u201d Such instructions reflect an attentiveness to physical context, helping ensure that listeners can mentally map the space and navigate the experience with clarity and confidence.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

These drafts highlight not only the depth of Dr. Snyder\u2019s expertise but also the thoughtful precision required in this form of storytelling. Dr. Snyder\u2019s legacy has opened doors for countless people around the world, inviting them into spaces and stories from which they might otherwise have been excluded. The Joel Snyder Audio Description Archive highlights the impact of inclusive design and is a valuable resource for those committed to advancing accessibility in all forms. More updates to come as the collection is processed and made available to the public!<\/p>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media and look out for future posts on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, and Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0accounts. To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a> and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the Special Collections Research Center\u2019s most exciting and recent acquisitions is the Joel Snyder audio description archive. Since October 2024, I have had the privilege of processing this collection with the ultimate goal of making it accessible to researchers and the public. For decades, Dr. Joel Snyder has been a pioneer and advocate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101027,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,162,5,121],"tags":[593,422],"class_list":["post-11459","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recent-acquisitions","category-recently-processed","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-manuscript-collections","tag-processing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2YP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10030,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10030","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":0},"title":"New Year, New Collection!","author":"Lynn Eaton","date":"February 10, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Here at the Mason Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC), our staff have been busy bringing in a few new collections, preparing to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Mason becoming a university, and working on other projects big and small to make our collections more accessible to students, faculty, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lynnblog.jpg?fit=655%2C873&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lynnblog.jpg?fit=655%2C873&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/lynnblog.jpg?fit=655%2C873&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":280,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=280","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":1},"title":"Leonard H. Clark Collection","author":"admin","date":"February 23, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Special Collections and Archives staff recently completed the processing of the Leonard H. Clark collection.\u00c2\u00a0 The collection largely consists of documents, photographs, and memorabilia from Clark's time in the United States Air Force during World War II.","rel":"","context":"In "recent acquisitions"","block_context":{"text":"recent acquisitions","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"Clark Collection, Kamikaze Sash, 1940s","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/sca.gmu.edu\/exhibit\/img\/treasures\/ci_kamakazi_small.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6737,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6737","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":2},"title":"Reflections from Our Interns: Zachary Greenfield","author":"admin","date":"August 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Zachary Greenfield, undergrad in history at George Mason University. He has been a summer processing intern at our Special Collections Research Center since May 2017. My internship with Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) has been incredibly enjoyable! I have gotten to handle a broad range\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_40571.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_40571.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/IMG_40571.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":7468,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=7468","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":3},"title":"SCRC is Thankful for Student Assistants","author":"admin","date":"November 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Special Collections Research Center's full time staff forms the core of our workforce, but we would not be able to efficiently arrange and describe collections and make them available to our users without the dedicated service of our student wage workers and interns. The processing team, which turns boxes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pencil-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pencil-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pencil-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pencil-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/pencil-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C798&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9346,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9346","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":4},"title":"A Journey of Reparation Work","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"September 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Rachel Lavender, Metadata Specialist. Rachel has a Bachelors of Public History from the University of Wisconsin \u2013 Eau Claire, a Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Wisconsin \u2013 Madison, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Applied History from George Mason\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LUNA.jpg?fit=1200%2C959&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LUNA.jpg?fit=1200%2C959&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LUNA.jpg?fit=1200%2C959&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LUNA.jpg?fit=1200%2C959&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/LUNA.jpg?fit=1200%2C959&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11344,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11344","url_meta":{"origin":11459,"position":5},"title":"Archives Neighbors: Smithsonian Archives Center","author":"Meghan Glasbrenner","date":"April 18, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) recently had the opportunity to visit with some of our neighbor archives in the Northern Virginia-D.C. Metro area. In this new blog series, we'll be recapping these new connections with members our local archival community, providing insights into the lessons we learned, and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archives Neighbors"","block_context":{"text":"Archives Neighbors","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=922"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photo_2025-04-16_10-40-46.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photo_2025-04-16_10-40-46.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photo_2025-04-16_10-40-46.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/photo_2025-04-16_10-40-46.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/101027"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11459"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11467,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11459\/revisions\/11467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11459"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11459"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11459"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}