Learning Center

School Library Services for Deaf Children: Audio Visual Material

Written by Patricia Blair Cory, Librarian and Visual Education Director at the Lexington School for the Deaf, and published in 1960 by the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf, Inc., this article concentrates on the responsibilities of librarians in regards to various educational media provided to deaf children. She states that librarians should familiarize themselves with the films in their collection and be prepared to evaluate each title for things such as clear identification of subject matter, age appropriateness, and whether or not the film depends too heavily on a soundtrack. The latter is an important topic in her paper, because at this time educational films were not captioned, and students had to depend on lipreading what the characters said, or have the material pretaught or preread before the showing. She urges librarians to use films that rely on visual cues to tell the story or explain the subject matter.

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From Sound to Subtitles

In 1977 between 21,000 and 24,000 instructional films were available in the United States for loan or purchase from film distributors. Of these films, approximately 2,000 were nonverbal and could, therefore, be viewed in their original form by deaf persons. Another 885 educational films had been captioned. Overviews the activity of the Captioned Films for the Deaf program to close that gap. Prepared by the Special Office for Materials Distribution, Indiana University, Audio-Visual Center, Bloomington, Indiana (1977).

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An Introduction to the 1978 Symposium on Research and Utilization of Educational Media for Teaching the Deaf

Dr. Robert E. Stepp, Jr. is a pioneer in usage of educational media in the education of deaf and hard of hearing students. In this paper, Dr. Stepp touches upon the support of the government of four Regional Media Centers for the Deaf, Project LIFE (Language Improvement to Facilitate Education), the construction of the PAL (Programmed Assistance in Learning) machine, three Specialized Offices for the Blind, Deaf, and Other Handicapping Conditions, and the captioning of "The ABC Evening News." He points out that educational goals for the "acoustically handicapped is to be independent as an adult" and that independence in learning can be achieved through use of educational media.

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Grassroots Advocacy for Captioning

Maryann Fau Barnett overviews the path that led to captioning as we know it today.

From Maryann Fau Barnett about

"Reelizing" the Full Potential of Captioning Educational Films for the Deaf Through Lesson Guide Utilization

Written by Lester Graham, B.A., M.S., and Garry J. Loysen, M.S., in the early eighties, this paper affirms that while films have been and will continue to be the most visible and sought after facet of the Captioned Films for the Deaf program, another facet of the program is of equal importance: the lesson guides. Notes that the purpose of each lesson guide is to give the user insight into the message, content, purposes, and applications of each film in the collection. Reviews the origination of these lesson guides and suggests how media specialists can promote their use.

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"Silent Films" Revisited: Captioned Films for the Deaf

The silent films of the early 1900s had a huge audience, hearing and deaf, for public entertainment and instruction. The advent of "talkies," however, excluded deaf people from this means of access to mainstream American culture. In response to a new need for both captioned educational and entertainment films for deaf people, Congress passed Public Law 85-905 in 1958, which established Captioned Films for the Deaf as a federal program. This article addresses the history of the Captioned Films/Videos for the Deaf program, the kinds of films and videos available, and the procedures for borrowing them through educational and theatrical captioned film/video libraries. Also discussed are the various captioning processes and the implications of the availability of these materials for librarians who are concerned about the special needs of the deaf community.

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Muffled Journey

My life journey began on a beautiful Minnesota October day, when I arrived in this world as the firstborn of caring parents. Typical of the days of the 1920s, I was born at our home. The doctor had arrived earlier that day and had stayed with my parents the entire time needed for my safe arrival.

From Erma A. Belz about

In Education, Transition, and Life: Teachers Made the Difference

Dr. Ernest E. Hairston writes about two of his great teachers: William King and Malcolm (Mac) Norwood.

From Ernest E. Hairston about

Teacher Survey of Captioned Media

Research for school use of captioned media from 1993-1996

From Gallaudet University about

Malcolm Joseph Norwood Tribute in CFV Newsletter and Vitae

Dr. Malcolm Norwood, former chief of the Captioning and Adaptation Branch of the Department of Education, died of a heart attack on March 23, 1989. Mac was known throughout the world of deaf education as the "father" of closed captioning. His leadership from the early 1960s when the criteria and technology for 16mm captioning was developed, until the advent of Line 21 captioning for television broadcasting, was invariably enthusiastic, energetic, and innovative. Mac was proof of the adage, "Where there's a will, there's a way." Mac held a Ph.D degree as an educator, but above all he was a loving husband, father, and friend. (Captioned Films/Videos for the Deaf Newsletter, April, 1989.)

From Bill Stark about