ABSTRACT
This chapter is devoted to the tools with which audio description (AD) is received by blind and visually impaired audiences. Receptor tools, far from being mere technical instruments, are the gateway to receiving AD. In providing this overview of receptor tools, the authors address the key issues of inclusivity, technological competence and power relations that are connected to receiving AD. They argue that each AD receptor tool may constitute an entry barrier to the service. Hence, if AD is to be a genuinely accessible service, AD providers should consider the choice of receptor tools, among other things, in terms of their compliance with principles of universal design, such as ease of use.
