Blindness Advocates on Why There Should Be Audio Description Oscars

variety.com:

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Paul Castle and Jaimee Kadish share a number of things in common, including a sharp sense of humor and a resiliency that inspires.

Both are legally blind due to a rare disease called retinitis pigmentosa (RP) that causes loss of vision over time — Castle was diagnosed at 16, Kadish at 21.

And both have brought awareness to the condition and provided valuable representation in different ways.Castle is a writer and illustrator whose work include the children’s books “The Pengrooms,” about a pair of same-sex penguins.

But he is also one half of the social media duo known as Matthew & Paul. The two have gone viral for the pranks Matthew plays on his blind husband — rearranging the furniture so Paul thinks he’s in the wrong apartment, swapping himself out with a mannequin and waiting to see how long until his husband notices. (The videos are always hilarious and usually end with Castle screaming “Matthew!” good-naturedly.) Castle has also raised awareness for the blind simply by speaking frankly about his life, such as having his guide dog Mr.