Description Key

Some of the video examples in the Description Key contain yellow captions that highlight the portions of description that pertain to the guideline being demonstrated in the example. For instance, in the following screenshot:

…the captions are yellow because the clip demonstrates a guideline that involves "leading the action" if available description time is limited.

Please note that this is a stylistic implementation, made to utilize an accessibility feature (captions) to highlight relevant content, and not an endorsement, by the DCMP, of multi-colored captions.

Back to top

All video examples used in the Description Key have captions activated by default. If you wish to view the video examples without captions, click the "T" button (or press Alt+C) as shown in the following screenshot.

If the "T" is white, the captions are on; if the "T" is grey, the captions are off. The player will remember your preference for your next visit.

Back to top

The fully featured example videos require that Javascript be enabled in your browser and that the Adobe Flash player plug-in be installed for your particular browser version. If you see the following message:

…it means that Javascript was not detected. Visit the DCMP’s Javascript help page for browser-specific instructions on enabling Javascript.

Some school/corporate networks do not allow individual access to browser preferences. If you are unable to enable Javascript, you can select the "View MP4 version" link in the message box (or simply click the Image) to load an MP4 version of the clip in your browser's media plug-in. Note that certain functionality available on the Flash-based videos is not available on the MP4 clip.

If, however, you see the following message:

…it means that you don't have the Adobe Flash Player plug-in installed. The link provided in the message box will take you to Adobe's simple Flash Player install page, where your browser version will be automatically detected, and the appropriate Flash Player version installed.

Back to top

This site is written in valid XHTML 1.0 Strict, styled via Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and tested against many common accessibility hurdles, so it should display and perform consistently in all modern Web browsers. Certain older browsers, especially Internet Explorer version 6 and below, lack proper CSS/Javascript support and, as a result, often display many Web pages incorrectly. These browsers also contain many security risks and slow down your Web browsing experience.

Keeping your Web browser up to date will improve your Web browsing experience and may even keep your identity and other important information safe from online threats. Whether you prefer Mozilla’s Firefox, Opera, Apple’s Safari, Google’s Chrome, or Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, it is always a good idea to check often for updates.

Back to top

As noted above, the Key’s style is controlled by CSS. CSS allows the same information to be presented in many ways, just by altering the document that controls a Web page’s look and feel—the style sheet. If you’d prefer to view the Key as a text-only Web page (or in high-contrast yellow on black), look below the main navigation for the following:

…and simply click on the style you want. Your preference will be remembered for future visits (as long as cookies are enabled on your browser). If you view the page in either text-only or high-contrast text, a message will appear with a quick link back to the style switcher, in case you want to switch back to the default presentation.

The style switcher requires Javascript to be displayed on the Web page as shown above. However, users with Javascript disabled can still switch styles as long as they are using a standards-compliant Web browser, such as Firefox (View > Page Style) or Opera (View > Style).

The following is a list of the different style sheets users can choose to apply:

1. default—The default presentation of the Key
2. textOnly—Black text on white background and no pictures
3. highContrast—Yellow/White text on black background and no pictures
4. font-plus—The default presentation with font size increased to 130%
5. font-plus-plus—The default presentation with font size increased to 210%

Back to top

Just as with the ability to switch style sheets to change layout and presentation, the CSS-based Key can also be configured to enlarge the default text size. (This can also be accomplished via a simple adjustment to your Web browser preferences.) Look below the main navigation for the following:

…and simply click on the font size you want (font+ will enlarge the text to 130% and font++ will enlarge the text to 210%). Your preference will be remembered for future visits (as long as Cookies are enabled on your browser).

The font switcher requires Javascript to be displayed on the Web page as shown above. However, users with Javascript disabled can still switch styles, as long as they are using a standards-compliant Web browser, such as Firefox (View > Page Style) or Opera (View > Style).

The following is a list of the different style sheets users can choose to apply to change font sizes:

1. default—The default presentation of the Key
2. font-plus—The default presentation with font size increased to 130%
3. font-plus-plus—The default presentation with font size increased to 210%

Back to top