Teachers, do you have a K-12 student who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deafblind? If you do, you can apply for the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). It is not only teachers who can use this resource, but even parents of those students can also sign up for this service.
A membership can provide you with access to free educational videos with captioning and description for those students who need it. Some of the thousands of accessible educational videos even have lesson guides or other resources.
Below is a message from our new friend at ND Assistive, Cindy Camp. She works for Described and Captioned Media Program and wanted us to share this valuable resource.
Home page of DCMP.ORG
Message describing DCMP by Cindy Camp
I’d like to share a valuable resource with you, The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP). DCMP is funded through the U.S. Department of Education so all their resources are free of charge. Their mission is to promote and provide equal access to communication and learning for students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind.
They provide access to over 8,000 accessible educational videos through online streaming and DVD. Families, educators, and other professionals who have at least one qualifying student (a student who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, or deaf-blind) are eligible for a free membership. Registration is easy, and it takes only a few minutes to fill out the form and verify your email. Simply go to the website. There are no costs associated with any of our services.
DCMP also host online trainings for teachers and professionals working with students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, low vision, and deaf-blind. These eLearning opportunities offer CEUs and are available free of charge. See eLearning Resources for details. Additionally, they can provide live training for in-service days via video conferencing.
Those who are interested in learning more about quality captioning and audio description can find our Captioning Key and Description Key on our website at www.keystoaccess.com.
If you have questions you can go to their website at www.dcmp.org or email them at info@dcmp.org.
iCanConnect Program for those with Vision and Hearing Loss
This is just a reminder that the iCanConnect program provides people with both significant vision and hearing loss with free equipment and training to help them stay connected with friends, family, and the world. Sending an email or chatting on the phone can be challenging for people with both significant vision and hearing loss. Equipment that iCanConnect can provide include: telephones, mobile phones, computers, screen readers, specialized software, braille displays, accessories, and more to people who meet federal disability and income guidelines.
How can you apply for the iCanConnect Program?
If you reside in North Dakota, please go to the ND Assistive website at https://ndassistive.org/icanconnect/, email bstenehjem@ndassistive.org or call 800-895-4728 and ask for Beth.
If you reside outside of North Dakota, you can find contact information at http://www.icanconnect.org/