Video and Audio Resources

Whenever video or audio resources are used for classroom instruction, the teacher needs to ensure that they are accessible to students with disabilities. For students who are not able to hear, the media resource should provide the audio information in an alternate format. This could be in the form of captioning, signing, or providing a written transcript of the audio. For students who are not able to see, the media resource should provide a description of the visual component for the student.

One source of accessible video resources is the Described and Captioned Media Program. The DCMP media library has over 4,000 free-loan described and captioned media titles, some of which are in Spanish. If a class has at least one student who is deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind, the teacher is allowed to set up a free membership and access the materials. Members can watch media online or order a DVD copy to be shipped to the school. The DCMP website also has information on creating captions.

Another resource is PBS Learning Media (http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/), which offers more than 1,000 free online videos with captioning. The website allows users to search for resources with various accessibility features such as captioning and description. There are no eligibility requirements for using the PBS resources; these materials can be used with all students. Captioned media may be helpful to learners without disabilities, such as students who are learning English.