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DCMP offers the only guidelines developed for captioning and describing educational media, used worldwide.
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DCMP offers several online courses, including many that offer RID and ACVREP credit. Courses for students are also available.
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These self-paced, online learning modules cover the topics of transition, note-taking, and learning about audio description.
DCMP can add captions, audio description, and sign language interpretation to your educational videos and E/I programming.
Captions are essential for viewers who are deaf and hard of hearing, and audio description makes visual content accessible for the blind and visually impaired.
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The DCMP provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students with disabilities. We partner with top educational and television content creators and distributors to make media accessible and available to these students.
Scanned copy of the hearing on August 7, 1962 to discuss S. 2511, a bill to provide for an increased program of Captioned Films for the Deaf (CFD). The bill, designed to mandate government support of the captioning of educational films, was introduced by Senator Edmund S. Muskie, Maine, and co-sponsored by Senator Claiborne de Borda Pell, Rhode Island. The bill passed and became Public Law 87-715, supplementing the original law to establish CFD (Public Law 85-905) for the captioning of entertainment motion pictures. (A related DCMP article containing the remarks prepared by John Gough for S. 2511 is available here.)
Published in 1967, this handbook details the funding, people, research, and findings involved in creating standards for library-media centers in schools for the deaf. To make possible the development of such standards, the Office of Captioned Films for the Deaf made funding available to complete the performance standards and present them to professional associations interested on improving this aspect of the education of the deaf.
For over four decades, beginning in the mid-1960s, educational captioned films (later captioned videos and newer forms of media) were housed in residential schools for the deaf. These depositories mailed captioned media to registered users in their state(s) and/or region. This document is a list of those depositories, their administrators, and locations.
Rockets: How They Work was the first educational film to be captioned in 1962 after the passage of Public Law 87-715. This document contains the film's transcript and caption script. A lesson guide for the film was subsequently written in 1969.
In 1962 Congress amended previous legislation authorizing the captioning of entertainment films by passing Public Law 87-715, which added the captioning of educational films. That same year, the film Rockets: How They Work became the first educational film to be captioned.
This lesson guide for the first-ever educational captioned film, Rockets: How They Work, was written at DePaul University (Chicago) in 1968. "Even a good film loses its effectiveness if not used properly." Provides a film summary, purpose of the film, preparation for use of the film, follow-up, and additional resources materials.
In 1962 Congress amended previous legislation authorizing the captioning of entertainment films by passing Public Law 87-715, which added the captioning of educational films. That same year, Rockets: How They Work became the first educational film to be captioned. Indicating that the film was appropriate for the middle grades, the Captioned Films for the Deaf catalog described it as follows: "The film shows how rockets achieve motion and compares rocket power with other types of motive power and gives a clear picture of the basic scientific techniques on which the modern use of rockets is based." A lesson guide for the film was subsequently written in 1969.
Silent films had been used prior to 1930 in classrooms with students who were deaf or hard of hearing, but the advent of sound motion pictures made new films inaccessible. One of the first educational films ever captioned (1962), this primary-level film shows a family of skunks and how they live in their natural environment. A lesson guide was written for it and 70 other captioned educational films in 1968 at a DePaul University workshop, and these were printed in a bound volume for distribution across the United States.
Pencils ready! Depending on what kind of summer you have had, it is with a sigh of relief (or a groan) that the school year begins anew. So, in preparation for all those school supplies and sleepy eyes–it's quiz time–but this one's for you, parents. What is the name of the high-quality media service geared specifically toward improving the educational experience of your deaf and hard of hearing children? Another hint–it is also convenient, informative, and free!
Would you like a convenient resource for general information about deafness, classroom accommodations, and communication tips? Designed for faculty and staff in secondary, postsecondary, and vocational/employment programs, this pocket-sized handbook can provide information for professionals who don’t have much experience interacting with students who are deaf or hard of hearing. (2007)
The National Education Association (NEA) annually sponsors an event called Read Across America. Originally created as a one-day celebration of reading on March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday, the activity has grown into a nationwide initiative that promotes reading every day of the year. The result has been a focus of the country's attention on how important it is to motivate children to read, in addition to helping them master basic skills.
How Captioning and Description Can Benefit You
While some research has been conducted about the benefits of description and blind adults, no empirical data have been collected relating to benefits of description for children. In this paper by Melanie Peskoe, literature has been reviewed to discuss (1) the emerging trend toward educational programming for preschool-aged children, (2) the various theories about how children learn, and (3) the implications of description for both blind and sighted children. This paper serves as a foundation for future, needed research on this topic and calls for attention to be paid to both the social impact of description as well as the methods used for deciding when, what, and how to describe.
For 12 million Americans who are blind or visually impaired, 1990 marked a new era promising fuller access to television programming through an innovative service called Descriptive Video developed by Boston public broadcaster, WGBH. This report, written and disseminated by WGBH, overviews the benefits of description and parallels those benefits with those of captioning. For example, the author notes, "Descriptions can also be useful when a viewer is doing several things at once, needs to attend to something, or leaves the room during a program. While these uses are not the original intent of the service, they need to be taken into account when considering the potential audience for and potential benefits of video description." It stands to reason that description can benefit everyone.
In the last two decades, technology has advanced exponentially. As a result, the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) has adapted to provide needed resources to Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals. As I look back over my career as a teacher of the deaf, I realize that DCMP has always been a critical resource in my classroom, and I am grateful that DCMP has kept up with the winds of change. Whether media arrived in the form of reel-to-reel films, VHS, DVD, or streamed through the internet, DCMP has always been my rock. Today as I work hard to prepare my students for successful 21st -century careers, I find that DCMP is more important than it has ever been.
