My first introduction to audio art resources and art podcasts for visually impaired audiences came from exploring Amazon Alexa skills for art and art history; I remember how excited I was to find a way to listen to art-related content without having to look at a screen or strain my eyes. Since then, I have discovered several (mostly) free educational art resources that include options for nonvisual access as well as tools for making art accessible to low vision audiences through the use of sound. Here is a list of audio art resources, art podcasts, and tools for listening to art, great for visually impaired students (inclusive of blind, low vision, and CVI).
Listening to verbal descriptions for art (audio description for art)
Verbal descriptions for art (sometimes referred to as audio description for art) provide a rich description of key visual elements for audiences that may not be able to see it. Designed to provide context and clarification about what is in an image or work of art, verbal descriptions are often put together by museum curators, art historians, people who appreciate art, or even the artists themselves. Some museums will post playlists of verbal descriptions or audio description for artwork on their website or social media so that anyone can listen to them, or offer audio tours online that explore different characteristics or themes of art.
Examples of organizations that offer accessible art with verbal descriptions/audio described art include:
- Museum of Modern Art
- Tate Gallery
- Art UK
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- Smithsonian museums, e.g. Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Cooper Hewitt (Smithsonian Design Museum)
- Rijksmuseum
Some museums also partner with audio tour providers or digital museum tools like Smartify, Google Arts and Culture, or offer their own applications for accessing audio tours. Many of these tours can be accessed outside of museums, which can be helpful for sharing audio descriptions of art in a classroom setting or pairing with virtual field trips.
Related links
- Audio Description Tour: Tate Modern | Tate
- Audio description playlist | Art UK
- Mobile App & Audio Tours | The Art Institute of Chicago
- Accessibility Resources | Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- Tours – Rijksmuseum
- Visiting The Museum of Modern Art With Vision Loss
- Visiting The Met With Visual Impairment
- Audio Described Public Art – MindsEye Public Artwork Accessibility Project
- How To Make Virtual Museums Accessible For Visual Impairments
Audio described art videos for blind and low vision audiences
Besides listening to descriptions of artwork or 3D art, audio described art videos provide another accessible option for blind and low vision audiences, and deliver descriptions of key visual details during natural pauses in dialogue or music. One of my favorite resources for finding audio described art videos is the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP), which offers both audio description and captioning for several educational art videos, including series like The Art Assignment. Users can also request enhanced visual descriptions using built-in AI tools, which can be helpful for generating more detailed descriptions.
Other sources to explore for accessible art videos include:
- YouDescribe videos, which can be used to both search for audio described videos and to create videos with audio description for free
- Audio Description Project database
- Audio described video playlists from museums
Out of all of these options, DCMP offers the largest selection of audio described art videos for visually impaired students, and some videos also include options for Spanish audio description as well.
Related links
- DCMP: Free Audio Described Videos For Classrooms
- YouDescribe: Audio Description For YouTube
- Audio Description Project
- Ten Ways Visual Impairment Influenced Classic Artists
Recording art videos and tutorials for visually impaired
Students with low vision may find it useful to watch a recorded tutorial or art video as they can pause, zoom in, and rewind/replay portions of the tutorial as they access information visually. For creators recording their own videos, narration can be incorporated into the recording process by providing detailed verbal descriptions of movements as they appear on the screen. To give an example, the instructor can share a set of steps or the name of specific techniques in real time, while avoiding phrases such as “like this” or “over there” without providing additional clarification on what “this” looks like or where “there” is.
Art tutorials that are detailed, descriptive, or that are designed for users to listen and follow along can be helpful for visually impaired audiences, as these videos are typically created so users can listen or follow along. I have also found several accessible art therapy videos and art therapy prompts that were designed to guide the thoughts of artists, though these are not typically step-by-step tutorials.
Related links
- Creating Accessible Crafting Tutorials For Visual Impairment
- Creating Flower Arrangements With Low Vision
- Making Friendship Bracelets With Low Vision
- Tips For Creating Art For Visually Impaired Friends
Listen and draw playlists
Many of my friends use listen and draw playlists or get inspiration for art through listening to different music genres, field recordings, or other immersive sound experiences. While text-based art prompts can be accessed in audio formats, a lot of online art prompts in recent years have been curated for AI, not humans, so it is better to stick with listening to drawing playlists or exploring different types of music/sound. I share several ideas for interesting sound prompt resources in my post on audio-based history resources linked below.
Related links
- History Podcasts and Audio-Based Resources For VI Students
- Dictation and Audio-Based Assistive Technology For Writing
Create audio-narrated images
Another option for making art accessible to visually impaired audiences is creating audio-narrated images, which pair recorded narration with 2D images or video to provide enhanced description. This can be a great way for artists to describe their own creations, provide instructions or tutorials, or to create custom verbal descriptions for art that can be used in the classroom setting. Creating audio-narrated images can be as simple as creating narrated slideshows in PowerPoint or Slides, or use apps like Clips to add additional visual effects.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text For Amateur Art
- Creating Audio Narrated Images For Low Vision
- Tips For Visiting Art Museums With Low Vision
Audio drawing apps and sonification
Visual art projects that incorporate sound and sound artworks can be engaging for students with visual impairments, and exploring audio drawing apps and sonification are a great way to translate visual content into auditory formats. Creatability experiments from Google offer several options, and I have also used web synthesizers with students who would draw simple pictures that corresponded to different sounds. For students with CVI, I have also used Finger Paint With Sounds for practicing touch screen gestures or creating simple art; while this specific free app has not been updated in a while, it can still be downloaded from the App Store and works on newer iPads.
Related links
- Creatability – Experiments with Google
- Finger Paint With Sounds App – App Store
- Paint With Music — Google Arts & Culture
Museum podcasts and art podcasts
Since podcasts are designed with audio access in mind and typically do not require users to look at a video or screen, they are ideal for blind and low vision audiences who are interested in learning more about art, art history, or other topics. Examples of art podcasts that visually impaired audiences may enjoy (and that my friends and I have listened to) include:
- Art museum podcasts, which can include recordings of lectures, art history lessons, interviews with artists, and more. Portraits from the Smithsonian Museum of American Art is one example.
- Art History Kids podcast
- The Lonely Palette podcast
- Art History for All
- The Great Women Artists Podcast
Users can also listen to podcasts on smart speakers, which offer options for controlling playback with voice controls or requesting specific episodes. Some smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot include a 3.5mm audio jack that can be used to connect headphones as well.
Related links
- Audio and Nonvisual Entertainment Ideas For Blind and Low Vision
- Purposes of Media Descriptions for Visual Impairment
- Mainstream Technology and Low Vision: Smart Speakers
More accessible art resources for low vision and blind students
- Looking for resources for teaching a visually impaired student in the art classroom? Read Art Classes and Low Vision
- To browse a curated page of art projects that could be adapted for students with visual impairments, check out Arts and Crafts Projects for Low Vision by Veron4ica: Pinterest
- Interested in exploring tactile art? Check out Free Braille Art and Tactile Image Libraries: World Braille Day and How To Create Tactile Images With Everyday Objects
- When possible, pair audio descriptions of art with high resolution images. Learn more in How To Create High Resolution Images For Low Vision or explore sources for digital 3D models in Using Digital 3D Models With Low Vision
Published April 4, 2018. Updated February 2026