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DCMP Newsletter
September 18 2009 share this newsletter on facebook share this newsletter on twitter
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In this issue:

 DEAF AWARENESS  |   NEW TITLES  |   FREE POSTERS
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Deaf Awareness Week is September 20—26

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a boy sigms I love you in american sign language

It’s an annual event with international appeal. The last full week (Sunday–Saturday) of September is Deaf Awareness Week, celebrated across the globe as Deaf World Week. Held to commemorate the first World Congress for the Deaf in 1951, Deaf Awareness Week is a celebration of the culture, heritage, and language unique to deaf people around the world.

As a long-standing advocate for the deaf, the DCMP has built into its free-loan media collection a varied assortment of titles detailing many aspects of Deaf culture (download a PDF flyer listing suggested titles), including Deaf arts, sign language (another PDF flyer), and Deaf communities. We also provide titles with insight into how technology—from the internet to cochlear implants—is being integrated into an ever-evolving sense of Deaf culture.

Kick off your school’s or organization’s celebration of Deaf Awareness Week with Deaf culture–themed media from the DCMP! Let us know how you incorporated DCMP titles into your celebration by posting on the DCMP Facebook page.

Animated Series Focus on Science and Shakespeare

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Johan, star of Johan the Young Scientist series.

Few techniques are more successful at grabbing the attention of young learners than the use of animation. With the addition of two new animated series to the DCMP collection, all students can now benefit from the expanded access to animated educational media made possible through captions and description.

Johan, the Young Scientist takes students through an exploration of scientific themes, from gravity to ocean biology, through the experiences of a young boy named Johan and his animal friends in an alternate reality called “ScienScape.” This series consists of 14 episodes (download our new Johan the Young Scientist flyer [PDF] for a listing of episodes) and is appropriate for students from kindergarten to third grade.

For the slightly more advanced crowd (grades 7–12), we recently added 10 episodes of the Emmy® Award–winning BBC series, Shakespeare: The Animated Tales. Consisting of bite-sized (but accurate) reproductions of Shakespeare’s most popular works, the Animated Tales series is perfect for busy teachers and others looking to introduce the master poet to a new generation of learners. Download our new Shakespeare: The Animated Tales flyer (PDF) for a listing of the 10 episodes as well as information about other Shakespeare titles in the DCMP collection.

Free DCMP Posters for Your Classroom or Library

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Extremely tiny renditions of our new posters. Trust us. They look much better full-size.

Nothing would make a better addition to your classroom, library, or living room wall than one of our new 18x24 DCMP posters, available in three flavors:

All posters will be available within a week or two, but you can pre-order yours today using our convenient online poster order form. As with any DCMP service, there is no charge for your poster(s) or for shipping it/them to you. All that we ask is that you consider snapping a photo of your new poster(s) in their new home(s) and to share it with us (via e-mail, Facebook, or tagged as “DCMPposter” on Flickr) and that you continue to introduce the DCMP to your friends, colleagues, and others who work with students who will benefit from our services.

YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS NEEDED

Our media collection has thousands of accessible media items—many were suggested by teachers and parents like you. It’s easy for you to tell us about your students’ media needs.

Visit dcmp.org/recommend for several ways to recommend media.

BREAKTHROUGH: SONY DVD/BLU-RAY RELEASES TO RETAIN DESCRIPTION

Thanks to a new partnership between WGBH’s Media Access Group (MAG) and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, beginning this fall, any Sony theatrical release that is available with Descriptive Video Service (MAG’s name for description) will retain its description track on the film’s home video (DVD/Blu-Ray) release.

The DCMP applauds MAG’s efforts to bring more accessibility home from the movie theaters into consumers’ living rooms. We hope that the other major film studios quickly follow suit and broaden the availability of description in the U.S. home video market.

INTERNET CAPTIONING ODDS AND ENDS

Ever visit Bill Creswell’s “The Captioned Internet”? How about taking a tour of Communication Services for the Deaf’s “CSD-TV”? Though there’s still a long way to go, it’s neat to happen upon sites like these to see how accessibility is spreading across the Net.

We’ve also stumbled upon a couple good blog posts about internet captioning in the past month: one about the status of online video captioning across several TV networks from accesssites.org and another from Texas Tech University professor and accessibility expert Sean Zdenek about the captions on the popular Hulu.com.

 
 
Described and captioned previews, equal access in the classroom, and more at the DCMP's You Tube Channel
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The Described and Captioned Media Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.

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The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Cooperative Agreement #H327N060002. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Ernest Hairston.