ABSTRACT
Over the past few years, audio introductions (AIs) have established themselves as a consolidated member of the media accessibility family. Originally designed as introductory notes aimed to provide blind and partially sighted audiences with relevant information about opera and theatre performances, AIs have also been used in film and have maintained their status as a rarity amongst other media accessibility services. Indeed, unlike subtitles and audio description (AD), they are not normally played over the main film/performance to which they are providing accessibility. This chapter tackles the definition, content, main functions and linguistic aspects of AIs, and provides an account of how they have been approached so far from the point of view of both research and professional practice in the case of opera, theatre and film. AIs are presented here as “pockets of freedom” in an otherwise constrained environment, which accounts for their flexibility and fluidity and for their ability to reflect current creative changes in media accessibility.
