Learning Center

DCMP-ACB STEM Description Vocabulary Project for Early Learners Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired

    The Described and Captioned Media Program partnered with the American Council of the Blind (ACB) with the objective of enhancing the educational description guidelines, the Description Key, through results of a "STEM Description Vocabulary Project for Early Learners." This project involved assembling a group of educators, consisting of representatives from educational programs throughout the U.S., who compiled a list of words most commonly and consistently used as grade-level specific vocabulary.

Description Key - Accessibility Vendors

The Described and Captioned Media Program maintains an online listing of description service vendors. Please complete the form below to add your company to the listing.

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).

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.