VocalEyes Audio Description

Name

VocalEyes Audio Description

Legal name

VocalEyes

Website

https://vocaleyes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessibility Services

NAICS

Sound Recording Studios (51224), Other Sound Recording Industries (51229)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Voiceover Recording & Production (Narration, Promo, Commercial VO) (MPAHAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sound Post-Production (Dialogue, ADR, Foley, Mixing) (MPADAGAC), Dubbing & Voiceover Production (Casting, Recording, Lip-Sync) (MPAHAFAB)

Keywords

• Audio description services
• Accessibility services
• Arts accessibility
• Visual impairment services
• Heritage venue accessibility

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Audio Description Services: Fees charged to theatres, museums, galleries, and heritage venues for professional audio description services, touch tours, and supporting accessible information.
2. Training Services: Fees for training courses in audio description, visual awareness, and sighted guiding for arts and heritage venue staff. Both in-person and online training options available.
3. Grants and Funding: VocalEyes receives grant funding from Arts Council England, Creative Foundations Fund, and other charitable foundations to support operations and projects.
4. Donations: Charitable donations from individuals supporting the organisation's mission. Minimum donation from £10 mentioned on website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

VocalEyes provides professional audio description services for the UK arts and heritage sector, enabling blind and visually impaired people to experience live theatre, museum exhibitions, heritage sites, and digital media. Services include live audio description during performances (broadcast via infrared, radio, or WiFi receivers), pre-recorded audio guides for independent visitor use, touch tours, and audio description for film, VR, and immersive media. The charity also delivers training and consultancy to arts and heritage professionals.

Product overview

VocalEyes is a UK charity (founded 1998) providing audio description services to make arts and heritage accessible to blind and visually impaired people. The product portfolio centres on live and recorded audio description across four core areas: theatre and performing arts, museums/galleries/heritage, digital media (film/VR), and an audio archive library. Supporting offerings include audio description training programmes (film, museum, theatre), visual awareness and sighted guiding training, free event listings via the What's On directory, research publications, and digital accessibility resources. The services are delivered through trained freelance describers, proprietary audio equipment, and a network of partner venues across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Theatre and Performing Arts Audio Description Service Live audio description services for theatre productions, delivered via infrared, radio, or WiFi systems to lightweight receivers worn by audience members. Enables blind and visually impaired audiences to experience performances on an equal basis. Includes touch tours and supporting accessible information (Braille, large print, introductory notes) about productions and venues.
• Museums, Galleries and Heritage Audio Description Live and recorded audio description services for museums, galleries, and heritage venues, including bespoke workshops, events, and audience consultation to increase accessibility for blind and visually impaired visitors. Includes navigation directions and detailed descriptions of collections, exhibitions, and venues.
• Digital Audio Description Audio description services for film/video, audio-visual content, Virtual Reality (VR), and other immersive or time-based media, installations, and experiences. Includes audio introductions, through-descriptions delivered between dialogue, and extended audio description that pauses video content for critical visual narration.
• Audio Description Training Training courses for audio describers covering film, museums/galleries/heritage sites, and theatre. Includes both in-person and online delivery options, building in-house audio description capability within arts and heritage organisations.
• Visual Awareness and Sighted Guiding Training Training for arts and heritage venue staff in sighted guiding techniques and visual awareness to better serve blind and visually impaired visitors. Available in-person and online.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of survey respondents attend audio-described performances more than twice a year, with 25% attending more than 5 times annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Theatre At HomeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Collaboration to provide audio description for National Theatre streaming productions including The Importance of Being Earnest YouTube premiere.
• Royal Holloway, University of LondonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Academic partnership (2019-20) for Describing Diversity project exploring description of human characteristics within theatre audio description practice.
• Thomas Pocklington TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Get Set Progress programme creating employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people. Thomas Pocklington Trust hosts VocalEyes office at their London Hub and provides employment support services.
• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through Get Set Progress internship programme creating employment opportunities for blind and visually impaired people. RNIB provides oversight and employment support services.
• StagetextminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for sector access reports and audience surveys since 2016, collaborating on research into UK venue accessibility provisions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People): Largest UK sight-loss charity with a broad portfolio spanning advice, products, employment and accessibility. VocalEyes' partner in the Get Set Progress programme and a potential incumbent for end-to-end VI services, operating at materially larger scale.
• Henshaws: UK charity supporting people with sight loss and disabilities, including arts and heritage programmes. Comparable mission and end-user base but operates a wider disability and education portfolio rather than specialising in arts audio description.
• Thomas Pocklington Trust: UK charity focused on enabling blind and partially sighted people to live independently, hosting VocalEyes' London headquarters and partnering on Get Set Progress. Comparable VI-focused mission but with a broader employment/living-support remit.

Direct peers

• Audio Eyes: Audio description services provider for film, television and digital media. Directly comparable in producing scripted audio description for visual media, addressing the same end-user need as VocalEyes' Digital Audio Description service.
• Stagetext: UK charity providing live captioning and surtitling for theatre and arts venues. Operating in the same UK arts accessibility space with a similar charity model, overlapping customer base (e.g., National Theatre), and joint research collaborations with VocalEyes.
• 3Play Media: US accessibility vendor providing audio description, captioning and transcription services across media and enterprise. Comparable in delivering scalable audio description production, with a much larger technology-enabled footprint than VocalEyes.
• Mind's Eye Audio Description: Audio description services provider working with arts and cultural venues. Operates in the same audio description niche with comparable live and recorded delivery offerings for blind and VI audiences.
• Audio Description Associates (ADA): US-based audio description services firm producing live and recorded audio description for theatre, museums, film and media. Directly comparable service portfolio and customer type to VocalEyes, though operating across North America.

Regional players

• Berkshire Sensory Theatre: UK theatre company specialising in accessible and sensory performances for audiences with disabilities. Regional player overlapping with VocalEyes on audio described performances but focused on production rather than specialist AD service delivery.

Others

• Sight Life (formerly Cardiff Institute for the Blind): Wales-based sight loss charity providing services and advocacy. Not a direct audio description peer but an adjacent UK sight-loss support ecosystem organisation that intersects with VocalEyes' accessibility mission and audience reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/vocaleyes
• Facebookfacebook.com/VocalEyesAD
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/vocaleyes-audio-description
• Instagraminstagram.com/vocaleyesaudiodescription

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VocalEyes Audio Description