PAC Brings Power On! to Audio

PAC is proud to announce the release of the audiobook adaptation of Power On!, a graphic novel by Jean J. Ryoo and Jane Margolis exploring equity, representation, and justice in technology.

Published by the MIT Press, Power On! follows four high school students as they confront the ways technology can perpetuate racism and inequality and imagine a more inclusive future for computing. When the authors began exploring how to make the highly visual graphic novel accessible to blind and low-vision readers, they connected with PAC through Gina Fugate, a computer science technology teacher at the Maryland School for the Blind.

PAC Director of Operations Sam Shaw served as executive producer, leading the adaptation from casting through post-production. The production combines authentically cast performances, visual description, and carefully balanced sound design to communicate both the book’s dialogue and the meaning carried through its artwork and visual style.

PAC worked with describer JJ Hunt to weave visual description naturally into the story and partnered with Alex Rees of Visible Music on post-production and sound design. The audiobook features Giordan Diaz, Shaun Grace, Jean J. Ryoo, and Takeria Blunt in its principal roles, along with 20 volunteer performers. Tangi Greene voices the Visual Description Introduction, which introduces listeners to the book’s characters, artistic style, and other key visual elements.

Recorded remotely across seven live sessions, Power On! is PAC’s first audiobook production. We are excited to help bring a story about expanding access to technology to more readers through an adaptation built with accessibility and representation at its core.