Audio Description

Bridge's OSEP Grant

PROJECT TEAM MEMBER PROFILES

Wendy Sapp, Ph.D., Project Director, has conducted multiple research projects into educational issues relating to children with visual impairments and has published and presented extensively on this topic. Recent research topics include Braille literacy, low vision literacy, tactual graphic literacy, and assistive technology.

Matthew Kaplowitz, Project Manager, has directed and produced audio description for a variety of media over the last decade. He has led Bridge Multimedia’s research and development team, implementing universally accessible technology and supplementary content for television and electronic media.

John Cavanagh, Online Content Director, is a writer/researcher, responsible for developing material for Bridge Multimedia's Internet site as well as writing articles, updates, promotional materials, special projects and presentations.

Kristin Cosover, Liaison to the Consumer Advisory Board, has nearly twenty years’ experience as a producer, post-production supervisor and production coordinator. She was previously Post-production Supervisor of 52 episodes of the international program Sesame English.

Barry Cronin, Ph.D., Senior Content Specialist, is a nationally recognized expert on video description, and the founder of the National Center for Accessible Media. Dr. Cronin was formerly Executive Director of Technology and Media Access for WGBH, where he was responsible for the Caption Center and was instrumental in creating Descriptive Video Service.

Gina Velasquez-Healy, Content Evaluator, has extensive experience in the publishing field. Ms. Healy received training in video description at the first Video Description Professional Development Workshop sponsored by the Video Description Research & Development Center (VDRDC). She is applying her strong editing skills to assessing and improving the quality of video description scripts.

Linda Kahn, Liaison to Networks and Programmers, is a specialist in forging strategic business and creative partnerships in all aspects of children's media. Formerly Senior Vice President of International TV Sales and Merchandising for Scholastic Media, Ms. Kahn led Scholastic Media’s international consumer products and promotional activities.

Lesley Koustaff, Curriculum Standards Specialist, is an internationally-recognized educator, teacher-trainer and publisher. At Oxford University Press, and more recently at Cambridge University Press, Ms. Koustaff was Publishing Manager for more than 150 titles including 25 standards-aligned secondary and Adult Education books.

Sheilarae Lau, Senior Audio Description Writer, is a writer, editor, and associate producer with extensive of experience in writing audio descriptions of science, children’s, documentary and dramatic television programming. She also established description guidelines for working with various program genres while encouraging innovation in style.

Jay Leventhal, Content Evaluator, previously served as Editor-in-Chief of Access World Magazine. Mr. Leventhal served as Senior Resource Specialist at the American Foundation for the Blind's Technology Center. He's been a consumer of video description for many years and is now using his strong writing and editing skills to help assess and improve video description scripts.

Grace Lyttle, Studio Coordinator, is a graduate from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She has experienceworking in the entertainment industry, and with people who have disabilities.

Jo Ann McCann, Project Officer, U.S. Department of Education, is responsible for federal oversight for video description.  She has been with the Department since 1986 and has a portfolio of projects which include closed captioning, video description, Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic, The Family Center on Technology and Disability, as well as the new Video Description Research and Development Center. Growing up with deaf parents, she has always been an advocate for disability rights, and continues to help build Department interest and support of video description.

Ken Takeuchi, Chief Audio Engineer is a graduate Berklee College of Music, with an impressive range of sound design and sound mixing credits for spots, promos, and long-form programming. At Bridge Multimedia, he has been involved in technical development and application of audio production tools.

Jeff Williams, Audio Recording Studio Manager, started his post production career as an assistant editor at a major New York City advertising agency and later became a Post Production Supervisor. He has worked with high-profile clients including IBM, American Express, and HBO.

Brenda Wilson, Curriculum Standards Specialist, has written and produced kids network TV as well as educational media at Disney, Scholastic, and TV411. Most recently she was VP Content at Sally Ride Science where she wrote some and edited all of the 50 books they published, aligning them all to national science standards.