Temple video audio description sample request letter

[Adam Rushforth]

Hello All,

Several have requested a copy of the letter I am writing as a template for their own letter. My letter is a little long, but I struggled to clearly express my concern and suggested solution in fewer words.
Many thanks,
Adam


My name is Adam Rushforth. I am the training center coordinator for the Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired. I have been a regular patron of the temple for almost 17 years. My wife and I were married and sealed in the temple over 11 years ago. I love attending the temple! I enjoy the spirit I feel there and the things that I learn when I go. The temple is a great blessing in my life, but after talking with my wife and others, I realize that I, and many others who are blind, are missing the additional dimension of the endowment presentation provided by the visual aspects and symbolic representations within the temple. The purpose of my letter is to offer a solution to this problem.
As you and I know, symbols are extremely important in the experience of learning about Christ, the atonement, and our journey back into the presence of our Father in Heaven. Moreover, there are visual aspects of the video presentation beyond the spoken words that communicate information, emotion, and dramatic perspective. That is especially true of the new films.
There are many blind individuals, including myself, who feel uncomfortable having someone describe the visual details of the temple video during the presentation, yet have an immense desire to be aware of the visual scenes presented during the endowment. I am not referring to more access to the interpretation of symbols because I know that comes through the Spirit, but rather access to information that would allow me to notice symbols, scenes, and facial expressions that are presented to those who are sighted. In order to make this happen, I suggest that the Church create an audio descriptive track as an additional language option to the endowment video. This track would include all dialogue and music that is currently audible to us but additionally it would, when there is no dialogue, describe at least some of the visual elements of the presentation. For example, it would be helpful to have descriptions of what an individual is carrying, when a person is glancing at something or running toward someone, looking down while someone is talking to them, making hand gestures, or other facial expressions that express emotion. This information adds a dimension of understanding which is missed by those who are blind or visually impaired.
For the past several years, most mainstream movies are produced with an audio track that allows individual listeners to hear descriptions of scenes, characters, facial expressions, hand gestures, and other pertinent information that sighted individuals have access to. Great care is taken to describe the visual aspects without adding interpretation. For example, rather than saying a character looks angry, they would say that the character has a scowl on their face. These audio descriptions are inserted during music or silent parts of the video as to not interrupt the dialogue. Many theaters provide headsets that blind customers can use while watching the movie. These audio descriptive tracks are also included on the DVD, which is turned on the same way you would select a language track.
Providing access to nonverbal information for an endowment session would require writing the description that then is recorded in an audio format and mixed with the regular English language track. Once an audio descriptive tract is recorded, the blind patron could ask for this “language” to be run for the session and receive headphones much like one would ask for Spanish or any other language track. Where this differs from a language is that the temple dialogue would not need to be translated, rather it provides access to visual information that our sighted brothers and sisters currently enjoy.
Access to this information would affect many visually impaired members throughout the church. The Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired in the state of Utah has over 9,000 blind or visually impaired adult individuals in their database. This number understates Utah’s visually impaired population as it only accounts for adults that requested services from this agency and does not include most of those who request services from the Veterans’ Administration or those who have not requested services. When you also consider those throughout the world, the number of those who would benefit from this description would be great.
Personally, I find it harder to stay focused with the longer pauses in the new videos; however, the longer pauses will give the recorded human narrator more time to describe the visual aspect of what is happening.
As I talk with many blind or visually impaired members, I have learned that many express frustration with their temple experiences for a variety of reasons. An overwhelming majority expressed how much an audio descriptive track would significantly improve their temple experience. I know that to be true with my experience watching mainstream movies and I hope it will soon be available to us in the Temple.
I realize that this would take some time to develop, but there are many, like me, who would be willing to volunteer their time to assist in the development of this additional descriptive sound track.
I thank you for your consideration and hope to hear from you soon regarding this matter.
Your brother in the faith,

Adam E. Rushforth
Orem Sunset Heights stake 5th ward

[Frank Welte]

Adam:

Thank you for sharing your letter requesting for audio description in the temple. It is a masterpiece of advocacy. The letter clearly expresses the concerns of our LDS blind community in a constructive, non-confrontational manner.

Given that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I trust you will be flattered as the rest of us quote liberally from this document in our own letters to our respective temple presidents.

Best wishes,
Frank Welte
San Leandro 1st Ward
San Leandro, California Stake
(Oakland temple district)

[Sandy England]

Adam
Thank you so much! This is great! If all of us did this and then maybe something will change. I really don't careif they get 50 or more of these in one Temple. There is strength in numbers and the Lord knows this! Tell me if my husband and I can help with any of this besides taking it to the Temples around us.
I thought it was interesting on our Mission that we could only go to one Temple without getting permission and that one Temple was over 3 hours away. There were two that was closer but we couldn't go to them without taking someone from our Branch.
Sandy England

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[mjhar...@gmail.com]

Thank you Adam for working on this. I definitely plan to submit a copy to my local leaders and the temple Presidentcy here at the Washington DC Temple. Thanks for all your time and hard work. It would be great to see something change with respect to this.



Mary Jo
Sent ufrom my iPhone

[djep...@expertsonblindness.com]

Adam,  I think this was very well written and certainly worthy of serious consideration.  Who are you sending it to? The temple you attend or the temple committee, or your local priesthood leaders?  Just curious. 

Sent from Windows Mail

[Adam Rushforth]

Frank and all,

Yes! Feel free to use things I wrote in my letter.
Thanks again,
Adam

-----Original Message-----
From: Blin...@googlegroups.com [mailto:Blin...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Frank Welte
Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2015 3:11 AM
To: blin...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [BlindLDS] Temple video audio description sample request letter

[Adam Rushforth]

I am sending it to a few people. A friend of mine made contact with the director of temple administration and so I am sending the letter to the director. I am also sending a copy to two temple presidents as well as my stake president. My temple district changes in two weeks so I am sending it to both my current temple president as well as my new temple president. Finally, I am sending a copy to Christopher Phillips even though I know he is on the email list.

 

It is not my intent to have everyone flood the temple administration with letters as I am concerned of it coming across the wrong way. It is my hope that everyone would send letters to their local leaders and temple presidents.

 

Also, for those that are using my letter as a template, I have come across a couple of typos and there may be more.

First: “Once an audio descriptive tract”

The word tract should be track

Second: “in their database”

The word their should be its

 

Many thanks,

Adam