About the Captioning Key
The first edition of the Captioning Key was developed in 1994. The Captioned Films and Videos Program (CFV), now the DCMP, was given the responsibility by the U.S. Department of Education to develop a list of approved captioning service vendors that would be selected by CFV to perform its captioning of movies and educational films/videos. Captioning manuals were requested from major captioning vendors in the United States and utilized as a basis for developing the first Captioning Key. CFV staff experienced in writing and proofing/editing captions also contributed their expertise. This staff included Bill Stark, Dianne Stark, Teresa Rogers, and Missy McManus. Bill, Dianne, and Teresa continue with the DCMP today, and have contributed to all subsequent revisions of the Captioning Key.
About the Described and Captioned Media Program
The DCMP is a unique accessible media resource serving the United States and its territories. DCMP services include: (1) a library of free-loan described and captioned educational media for K-12, (2) a clearinghouse of information on media access, and (3) a center for training and evaluation of captioning service providers.
2008 marked the Golden Anniversary of this federally supported program. Visit DCMP@Fifty to read an article detailing the history of the program, a time line highlighting important events in accessible media history, and to access various resources to learning more about the history of captioning.
About the National Association of the Deaf
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) was established in 1880 by deaf leaders who recognized the right of the American deaf community to use sign language, to congregate on issues important to them, and to have its interests represented at the national level. These beliefs remain true to this day, with American Sign Language as a core value. As a nonprofit federation, the mission of the NAD is to preserve, protect, and promote the civil, human, and linguistic rights of deaf Americans. The advocacy scope of the NAD is broad, covering the breadth of a lifetime and impacting future generations in the areas of early intervention, education, employment, health care, technology, telecommunications, youth leadership, and more.
