Our International Women’s Day episode of Outlook, first in the month of March and all throughout Women’s History Month, we’re talking with and honouring the intersectionalities of women and race and disability, to name a few.

We start the show this week with the unfortunate announcement of the passing of Judith Heumann, so named as the Mother of the Disability Movement. (A fuller tribute to Judy will be included in our next Mixed Bag themed show.)

Today for IWD though, we speak with founder and CEO of Superior Description Services, Rebecca Singh, who tells us why she decided to call her company Superior Description and why she works hard to promote and provide the best quality product; in producing audio and image description for blind and low vision users. Of all things possible to describe, for the blind and low vision community. Our guest this week is responsible for setting a high bar for all levels of audio description as paid work with standards for quality in her business and across the expanding Canadian AD landscape.

Rebecca has a background in the arts, performing from an early age, going on to act with such parts as one of the aunts in The Handmaid’s Tale, Season Four. Singh’s experience as a performer brings first-hand knowledge and integrity in the work done through SDS, in developing procedures and best practice suggested guidelines.

As a mixed race woman, Singh’s known racism firsthand in the entertainment and media industry, and actively works to break down barriers for people of all intersectionalities. This, of course, includes disability and by taking steps to foster an anti-racist environment and incorporating an Indigenous led program, collaborating with arts organizations of all kinds, (institutions such as universities and galleries and Stratford Festival to name a few), this is where companies like Singh’s are moving away from white being the default in all things.

Along with our guest’s sharing as a professional in the industry, Kerry always advocating for quality audio description, Brian rounds out the conversation by sharing his own personal experience with a recent movie night with his friends and their young children, illustrating the point that AD is becoming more common and popular, sparking conversations and the normalization of this aspect of inclusive access to the arts.

Check out more on Superior Description Services and the on-the-job work Rebecca’s done on media projects of all kinds at the official website:

https://superiordescription.com

For even more on Singh’s own storytelling and performance work:

https://rebeccasingh.com

Rest in peace Judy Heumann:

https://judithheumann.com/the-world-mourns-the-passing-of-judy-heumann-disability-rights-activist/