Enhancing Remote Learning through Accessible Media

2020 was a challenging year for teachers and students. Everyone had to learn new ways to teach and learn. One such lesson is the importance of Universal Design for Learning.  Creating accessible classrooms, whether face-to-face or virtual, improves learning opportunities for all students. 

Research has shown that the use of multimedia is beneficial to all students. Educational videos are uniquely suited to take students on impossible field trips, introduce them to new people and cultures, and bring great literature to life. However, most educational videos are not accessible to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. When a video is not captioned students not only miss out on a learning opportunity they also become more isolated from their hearing peers. 

Many mainstream teachers will continue to use inaccessible video thinking that an interpreter or captionist can create accessibility on the fly. Other teachers may avoid video all together so as to avoid the issue of accessibility. Neither of these is an acceptable solution. Accessible media is a valuable learning tool for all students. And should be part of an interactive curriculum. 

The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is a federally funded program, which provides accessible educational media and much more. Because it is funded through the U.S. Department of Education it is free of charge to professionals and families members of students who are early learners through high school who have a disability. Parents, teachers, and professionals can create an account with DCMP and access accessible educational videos for use in the classroom and at home. There are videos to teach sign language and deaf culture, lipreading skills, self-advocacy, science, math, language arts, just to name a few. 

This presentation will discuss the benefits of accessible media, the importance of quality captions and audio description. Participants will also learn how DCMP media meets educational standards by being aligned with Common Core and state standards. DCMP offers over 9,000 accessible, educational videos and many additional teaching tools free for use with students who have a disability. Videos are also offered in ASL to enhance learning for deaf and hard of hearing students.