Learning Center

Captioned Films for the Deaf

Written by Edmund Burke Boatner, and published by the American Annals for the Deaf in 1980, this article reviews the origin of captioning and the pioneers who resolved to create a mode of communication by which deaf audiences could enjoy films. The perseverance of many of these diligent people eventually led to the creation of Captioned Films for the Deaf. Mentions other supporters, such as the Junior League of Hartford and RKO. To quote Mr. Boatner: "No man ever won a football game alone. It was our team that won, and it was a great victory." Also includes a letter of congratulations to Mr. Boatner from then-President Dwight Eisenhower after the passage of the Captioned Film Act (Public Law 85-905) in 1958. This act provided federal funding for captioning feature films.
about history, dcmp
Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part I

Part I of a captioning manual prepared for teachers at summer workshops sponsored by the Captioned Films/Videos Program. This section includes general guidelines and an explanation of captioning levels.
about history, captioning, manuals-and-guidelines
Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part II

Part II of a captioning manual prepared for teachers at summer workshops sponsored by the Captioned Films/Videos Program. This section includes general guidelines and an explanation of captioning levels.
about history, captioning, manuals-and-guidelines
Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part III

Part III of a captioning manual prepared for teachers at summer workshops sponsored by the Captioned Films/Videos Program. This section includes general guidelines and an explanation of captioning levels.
about history, captioning, manuals-and-guidelines
Language Control in Captioned Films

For many years, the only source of educational captioned media was the Captioned Films for the Deaf program. Captions were written by teachers at summer workshops, of two or more weeks duration, which were usually held on the campus of a residential school for the deaf. This 1977 paper provided guidelines to caption writers as to caption length and vocabulary (language was often heavily edited). For each film, it was determined which of three levels of captioning would be followed, ranging from very simple sentence patterns with no compound sentences to those with complex sentences.
about history, captioning, manuals-and-guidelines
Lesson Guide for Captioned Films: A Training and Utilization Guide

The forward to the first bound volume (1968) of educational Captioned Films for the Deaf lesson guides and a sample guide for the educational film The Adventures of Willie Skunk. Explains that lesson guides are prepared for "…teachers of the deaf for use in conjunction with captioned films and is intended to help avoid pitfalls inherent in the use of films as teaching tools." Each guide contained these sections or components: film summary, purpose of film, preparation for film (teacher and student), follow-up, and additional resource materials.
about history, manuals-and-guidelines, captioning
How Bird Hunting in North Carolina Saved Captioning

Pioneers of captioning
about history, captioning, dcmp
Captioned Films for the Deaf

This paper was given at the twenty-second Meeting of the Conferences of Executives of American Schools for the Deaf in Colorado Springs, Colorado, October, 1950 by Edmund Boatner, one of the original founders of the Captioned Films for the Deaf program. This article originally appeared in the American Annals of the Deaf, Vol. 96 No. 3, pages 346-352. It has been re-typed in its entirety for historical and archival purposes.
about history, dcmp
Graham Anthony Obituary

Following is an excerpt from Mr. Anthony's obituary, written by then American School for the Deaf Superintendent Dr. Edmund B. Boatner in the school magazine, the "American Era":
about history, dcmp
Hear Me

A worldwide epidemic affecting the young is among us, and it is called child abuse and neglect.
From C. Paige Brooks about consumers
A Deaf Heritage Celebration

Gary E. Wait describes the American School for the Deaf museum’s collection of essays and letters reflecting the social and cultural life of the Deaf community, as well as documentation related to the origin of Captioned Films for the Deaf.
From Gary E. Wait about consumers, history
Captioned Films for the Deaf: Hearing Before a Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare

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.)
about history, dcmp
Standards for Library Media Centers in Schools for the Deaf: A Handbook for the Development of Library Media Programs

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.
about history, dcmp
Captioned Films Depository Managers: 1975

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.
about history, dcmp
"Rockets: How They Work"—Transcript and Caption Script

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.
about history, dcmp

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Learning Center

Captioned Films for the Deaf

Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part I

Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part II

Captioning Techniques for the Captioned Films/Videos Captioning Workshop: Part III

Language Control in Captioned Films

Lesson Guide for Captioned Films: A Training and Utilization Guide

How Bird Hunting in North Carolina Saved Captioning

Captioned Films for the Deaf

Graham Anthony Obituary

Hear Me

A Deaf Heritage Celebration

Captioned Films for the Deaf: Hearing Before a Special Subcommittee of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare

Standards for Library Media Centers in Schools for the Deaf: A Handbook for the Development of Library Media Programs

Captioned Films Depository Managers: 1975

"Rockets: How They Work"—Transcript and Caption Script