Learning Center

Description Key - Code of Conduct

Note: The following is an excerpt from the Standards for Audio Description and Code of Professional Conduct for Describers by the Audio Description Coalition (ADC).

Accessible Videos Related to COVID-19

DCMP offers several accessible videos related to COVID-19 to help students, families, and teachers better understand the social, physical, and emotional effects of this virus. The videos are captioned and described for students with disabilities.

Description Key - Resources

Offers an overview of description, how description can be used in the classroom, the progress of the Video Description Research and Development Center in the design of new description technologies, and special webinar resources.

Description Key - Technical Issues

Description Key - How to Describe

Description Key - What to Describe

Description Key - Preparation

Description Key - Job Descriptions

The person responsible for authoring and editing the description script to be recorded by a voicer (or voice talent).

Description Key - Quality Description

Today's students are expected to learn from increasingly visual curricula. Using narration to describe visual information enhances comprehension and retention. Description not only benefits students who are blind or visually impaired, it benefits children on the autism spectrum, English language learners, and children with learning differences.

Description Key - Background

Adapted from the original "Background of The Description Key," written in 2008 by Kay Alicyn Ferrell and Mary Ann Siller, American Foundation for the Blind.

Description Key - About the Key

Originally developed through a partnership between the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), the Description Key began as recommendations, suggestions, and best practices culled from an extensive literature search and meta-analysis [PDF] in 2006.

Welcome to the Description Key

Description is the key to opening a world of information for persons with a vision loss, literacy needs, or loss of cognitive abilities. The American Foundation for the Blind reports that 21.5 million adults have vision loss and 94,000 children with a vision loss are being helped by some kind of special education. While description was developed for people who are blind or visually impaired, sighted children may also benefit from description’s concise, objective translation of media’s key visual components. Specialized learners, such as students with learning differences, English language learners, and children on the autism spectrum, benefit from its value in literacy development (e.g., vocabulary and reading) and content learning. DCMP’s Listening Is Learning campaign focuses on these benefits.

DCMP Implements New Player-Based Captions and Description

To ensure that all media in DCMP's video library is always accessible, captions have been "burned in" or "open," meaning the captions are physically part of the video. Likewise, audio description has been added to each video's main soundtrack. Beginning in April, 2020, captions and description began transitioning to "player-based," meaning that these accessibility features are comprised of separate tracks that can be toggled on and off by the viewer. To continue DCMP's commitment to ensuring each viewing of every video is accessible, at least one accessibility feature will always remain on. All new content will have player-based accessibility upon release, and existing content will gradually switch to player-based as we quality check each one to ensure proper functionality.

Focus on Learning

Editors note: This article was written in April, 2020, and reflects DCMP during the period of 2016-2021.

New Tool Streamlines Creation of Multiple Student Accounts

DCMP has implemented a new tool for educators to expedite the creation of Student Accounts for multiple students. A new interface allows for several names to be added while usernames and passwords are auto-generated.