Audio describing for an audience with learning disabilities in Brazil. A pilot study

The target audience in this study is made up of viewers with learning disabilities. The authors remind the reader that, although AD is understood as an accessibility service targeting people with visual and cognitive impairment, research carried out to date does not seem to include those with learning disabilities as potential beneficiaries of this service. To bridge this gap, the authors designed a pilot study to observe whether current AD practices, mainly for visually impaired audiences, are also able to meet the needs of people with learning disabilities. After exposing participants to a short film, both with and without AD, and having asked them to complete a questionnaire, the authors conclude that further information would be needed in order to make this film fully accessible to this specific audience. The pilot study also resulted in interesting findings as regards the different degrees of learning disability and the inability of the available official classifications to define and categorize them adequately.