A Message From the DCMP Project Director
The “Keys to Access” guidelines for captioning and description were developed by the DCMP to ensure that the accessibility features of its media were of the high quality required to provide equal access. These guidelines are based on recorded research findings, the input and guidance of consumers and experts in the field of accessible media, and decades of experience by DCMP staff.
Millions of Americans need equal access. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that there are approximately 37,000,000 Americans who are deaf or hard of hearing, the American Foundation for the Blind reports that there are over 25,000,000 Americans who experience significant vision loss, and the American Association of the Deaf-Blind cites a U.S. Department of Education study estimating between 42,000 and 700,000 persons who have some level of both vision and hearing loss.
The government has recognized that this equality is a right. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which funds the DCMP, stipulates that students with disabilities are entitled to access, participation, and progress within the general education curriculum. Several other laws, both state and federal, mandate that people with disabilities have access to evolving high-speed broadband, wireless and other Internet protocol (IP) technologies, television, movies, educational multimedia, and other communications. Two examples which guarantee equal opportunity for all are The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and The 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibilities Act.
Whether mandated by law or voluntarily provided, captioning and description are good for most everyone. Such benefits are not the first time that unusual things happen when products are designed to be accessible by people with disabilities. For example, it wasn't long after sidewalks were redesigned to accommodate wheelchair users that the benefits of curb cuts began to be realized by people with strollers, riding on skateboards, using roller-blades, riding bicycles and pushing shopping carts. Similarly, captioning and description are literacy tools to benefit millions of others, and this cause is championed by the DCMP through its Read Captions Across America and Listening Is Learning campaigns.
Join with us in our universal access quest. It’s the law, and everyone benefits!
Jason Stark, Project Director
Described and Captioned Media Program