Programs that pay for or provide equipment which provides access to narrations of television programs, feature films, home videos or other visual media that describe actions, costumes, gestures, scene changes and other key visual elements that a visually impaired viewer would ordinarily miss. Descriptive video services are accessed via a stereo television set or VCR with a second audio program (S.A.P) feature or through a separate S.A.P receiver which can be used with or without the television. Some S.A.P receivers can also receive radio reading services. Some DVD's offer video description as a special feature. The video description track can be heard by selecting "visually impaired" from the "language" menu. In rare cases the DVD menus are audible.

Organizations that transcribe pre-recorded/live television programs and films for viewers who are deaf or have hearing impairments or are learning to read. The closed captioning typically identifies the program’s speakers and includes spoken dialogue, music, laughter and sound effects. The captions are hidden as data within the television signal and must be decoded by either a set-top decoder or caption-ready television set in order to be viewed.

Partial or complete hearing loss, generally in the severe to profound range, that is present at birth or occurs later in life. Functionally, individuals who are termed "deaf" are unable to hear well enough to rely on their hearing and use it as a means of processing information.