What is This Partnership All About?
In 2006, the DCMP partnered with the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), a national nonprofit organization that expands possibilities for people with vision loss, to develop guidelines for the description of educational media. Officially launched for the public in October 2008, this project—now known as the Description Key for Educational Media—represents the first-ever effort to specifically address the description of educational media. Through the Key, we hope to provide description vendors and media producers with a framework for ensuring consistency and quality in the description of media for K–12 students who are blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind.
What is Description and Why is it Needed?
An example of how description works. The pale yellow word balloon represents the program's narration, and the white word balloon represents the description. In this example, the narration is given, followed by the description of the visual content.
Description (also called “audio description” or “video description”) is the verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions. Inserted into natural pauses in the program’s soundtrack, description provides information that otherwise would remain inaccessible to someone who is blind or visually impaired without the assistance of a sighted person. It is similar to captions in that both are important tools for equal access to educational media for people with disabilities. While captioning has enjoyed almost five decades of development and successful implementation, description is still relatively new to the scene. Read more about the history of description in our Clearinghouse article Description Time Line Highlights [PDF].
As part of a 2008 survey that DCMP conducted with educational media producers and distributors, we discovered that less than 5% of the educational media currently used in the classroom is described for students who are blind or visually impaired. The DCMP is committed to providing—and advocating for—equal access to educational media. For that reason, all media added to our collection will be both captioned and described.
Why are Guidelines for Description Needed?
The
Description Key is one of the
DCMP’s
Keys to Access, available at www.KeystoAccess.org.
In the five decades since the DCMP began (as Captioned Films for the Deaf), the amount of captioned educational materials has grown as has the demand for uniformity and quality. We expect that this market trend will repeat for described media, as awareness of and need for universally accessible educational media grows.
Enter DCMP’s Captioning Key for Educational Media, which has established guidelines and best practices for captioning providers, and enjoyed an extremely wide readership and even international distribution. As the Captioning Key’s complement within DCMP’s Keys to Access, we are confident that the Description Key will enjoy similar success in improving the quality of accessible educational media.
How was the Description Key Produced?
AFB utilized many professional resources in its work to develop the Key. This includes an expert panel of educators of students with visual impairments, describers, school administrators, and adults who are blind or have low vision. After a thorough review of existing literature about description [PDF], AFB conducted limited field trials, solicited public comment, and requested specialized feedback from its unique network of educators and professionals in an attempt to resolve issues and clarify any ambiguity.
Visit the “About the Description Key” page on www.descriptionkey.org for more information on the development of the Description Key.
How do I Access the Description Key?
It’s simple. Visit www.KeystoAccess.org for links to both the Description Key and the Captioning Key. (If you are interested in making it easier for others to access the Description Key you might consider displaying one of our Description Key graphics or banners on your Web site or blog, or printing and handing out some Description Key flyers to administrators, teachers, and others that might be interested in described media.)
Want to Learn More About AFB?
AFB is a national nonprofit that, for 87 years, has been expanding possibilities for people with vision loss by setting trends and devising innovative initiatives. AFB’s priorities include broadening access to technology, elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss, and promoting independent and healthy living for people with vision loss by providing them and their families with relevant and timely resources. AFB’s work in these areas is supported by the strong presence the organization maintains in Washington, D.C., ensuring the rights and interests of people with vision loss are represented in our nation’s public policies.
In addition to its New York City headquarters and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C., AFB maintains offices in Atlanta; at the Center on Vision Loss in Dallas, TX; in Huntington, WV; and in San Francisco, CA. AFB is also proud to house the Helen Keller Archives and honor the forty plus years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB to expand possibilities for people with vision loss.
Visit www.afb.org to learn more about AFB.