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Help Center

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Frequently Asked Questions



Who qualifies for DCMP membership?

Families and school personnel with at least one early learner through Grade 12 student who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind qualify for DCMP membership. Also, instructors and students of training programs for teachers, interpreters, mobility specialists, audiologists, and other professionals do qualify. High school students who are 18 or over can also register for membership.

I'm a producer/distributor. How do I get my media on DCMP?

DCMP works with media producers such as Weston Woods, Litton Entertainment, PBS Learning Media, Green Planet Films, and hundreds of others to make educational media accessible to deaf and blind students. To learn how to have your content made accessible and added to our program, contact our Educational Specialist, Jade Cox:

jcox@dcmp.org

I registered. Why can't I stream videos?

Membership applications are reviewed by staff within 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. You will receive an email notice when your application is either approved or denied. In the meantime, you can view DCMP's freely available content that does not require membership.

What devices are supported?

DCMP videos can be viewed on desktop computer, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Roku and Apple TV users can access the DCMP channel. iOS users can download the accessible DCMP app from iTunes.

How much does it cost?

There are no costs associated with any of DCMP's services.

How do I give my students their own acounts?

DCMP members can create student accounts to assign media to individual students and groups. Student accounts exist only within member accounts. Students only have access to media and topics that are assigned by the member account. Details for setting up student accounts are found in our Help Center:

How to Set Up and Use Student Accounts

Do post-secondary students qualify for membership?

Post-secondary students qualify for DCMP membership if they are part of a training program for teachers, interpreters, mobility specialists, or other fields where the post-secondary student intends to work with students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind.

Do adults qualify for membership?

Adults qualify for membership if they are a parent or school personnel of a child who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired or deafblind. Adults who are deaf or blind and wish to have a membership for personal use do not qualify for membership.

Are there studies to support using captioning and description in the classroom?

Numerous studies that support the use of described and captioned media in classroom are available in our Learning Center:

Research and Studies on Captioning

Research and Studies on Description

How long can I keep DVDs?

When you check out DVDs, the due date is printed on the envelope, which is about one week from the date of receipt. You may extend the due date by one week at a time for up to four weeks by logging in and going to Media History in your Account.

Do I have to pay for postage for DVDs?

DCMP pays for postage. When you're ready to return the DVD, use the same envelope, which has the return postage prepaid.

Do I qualify for membership if I have only one student who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or visually impaired?

Yes. As long as you have at least one qualifying student, you do qualify for membership and can use DCMP media in your classroom.

I am a home school parent. Do I qualify for membership?

Yes. As long as you have at least one qualifying student, you do qualify for membership and can use DCMP media in your home.

I am training to be a teacher/interpreter/mobility specialist. Do I qualify?

Yes, those who are in training to work with deaf or blind early learners through Grade 12 students do qualify for DCMP membership.

How long does membership approval take?

DCMP staff generally review membership applications with 24 hours, but it can take up to 48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays.

Do the videos have lesson guides?

Many of the videos do have lesson guides or other related resources. These are listed below the video under "Available Resources."

Do DCMP videos support state and Common Core standards?

Yes! DCMP members can browse and search for videos based on state and national educational standards. DCMP uses EdGate Correlation Services to ensure that state K-12 standards are kept accurate and up-to-date. Standards include:

  • Common Core
  • State Standards
  • Next Generation Science Standards
  • National Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
  • K-12 ASL Content Standards

I didn't receive my DVD. What should I do?

Occasionally, DVDs sent through USPS do not arrive at their destination or are received as damaged. If you have no received a DVD that you ordered, please consider giving it one more business day. If you still do not receive the DVD:

  • Check with your front office or whoever receives the mail.
  • Log in to your account and double-check the address on your account
  • Log in to your account, go to Media History, find your order, and click "Did Not Receive Media."
  • If you've double-checked your address and it is correct, locate the media item and place a new order.
  • If you do not receive the second order, please contact DCMP staff at info@dcmp.org

I lost a DVD. What should I do?

If you lost a DCMP DVD, pleast log in to your account and go to Media History. Find the media title that has been lost, and click "Fill Out Response Card." As you answer the questions, you will be able to report the media item as "lost."

I just found a DVD that I thought I lost. What should I do?

Please send the DVD to:

Described and Captioned Media Program
1447 E. Main St.
Spartanburg, SC 29307

Why don't deaf or blind adults qualify for membership?

The U.S. Department of Education funds the DCMP through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), which is part of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS). OSEP is dedicated to improving results for infants, toddlers, children and youth with disabilities ages birth through 21 by providing leadership and financial support to assist states and local districts.

I live outside the USA. Do I qualify for membership?

DCMP members must reside in the United States and its territories, or be members of the U.S. military.

Why is DCMP free?

DCMP is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.

How do I switch captions or description off?

DCMP media have captions or description on at all times. Viewers may switch between the two by using their Language/Accessibility Settings.

What is description?

Also known as "audio description" or "video description," description is an additional audio track that describes visual elements of a video for persons who are blind or visually impaired.

The streaming video I want to watch will not play. What should I do?

If you are not a DCMP member, most videos will not play. If you are a member, click the "Report a Problem" button below the video player and the details of your problem will be sent to our IT department.

I'm looking for a specific video but don't see it.

If you search for a video and can't find it, it is probably not part of our media collection. However, your Language/Accessibility preferences can impact the videos you're able to find. For example, a small portion of DCMP's videos are not described; if your Accessibility settings are set to "description," then some captioned-only videos will not show up. Likewise, some videos are in Spanish but not English, and vice-versa.

Do you have videos in Spanish?

DCMP has hundreds of Spanish-language videos, which you can find by choosing "Spanish" in your Language/Accessibility settings.

What are "Response Cards?"

Although they're no longer physical paper cards, DCMP sends Response Card requests to members after media items are reviewed, in order to log how the media is used and how it specifically benefitted students who viewed the media. The information collected is required, as it helps to justify the need for the DCMP and maintains government support, which keeps DCMP a free service.

What are video ratings?

The five stars seen near the video player allows viewers to informally rate videos. The average rating is seen by how many stars are yellow, one being low, five being high. This is an opportunity to share an opinion that may be helpful to other members.

How do I share my comments with other members?

Each media item has a comments section below the video player. Comments made will appear to all visitors to that video's web page.

I am under 18. Can I sign up?

Currently, DCMP members must be at least 18 years of age. However, we do want kids, tweens and teens to be able to have a DCMP account with their own username and password. First an adult, such as a parent or teacher, must register for membership. Then they can create a Student Account for persons under 18 who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind.

How to Set Up and Use Student Accounts

I have captioning questions.

We have captioning answers!

We invite you to peruse DCMP's Captioning Key, a guide to captioning media. If you don't find your answer there, send us an email at info@dcmp.org and we'll have our captioning experts answer your question.

I have description questions.

We have description answers!

We invite you to peruse DCMP's Description Key, a guide to adding description to media. If you don't find your answer there, send us an email at info@dcmp.org and we'll have our description experts answer your question.

I forgot my username/password.

DCMP staff do not have access to member passwords, so if you've forgotten your password, go to the DCMP login page and click "Forgot my username" or "Forgot my password." You'll receive an email allowing you to reset your password.

 

Don't see what you're looking for? Call or email us.

(800)237-6213
info@dcmp.org

Tags: help