Providing Equity Through Accessible Media

Providing Equity Through Accessible Media By Cindy Camp

accessibility & UDL

Research shows that the use of multimedia as an educational tool is beneficial to all students. Videos are uniquely suited to take students on impossible field trips, introduce them to new people and cultures, and bring great literature to life. Videos can reach children with a variety of learning styles, engage students in problem-solving and begin to dismantle social stereotypes. When used correctly, videos enhance learning and motivate students. However, many educational videos do not take into account accessibility. They are not captioned or described. Captions are critical for the understanding of students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Audio description provides essential visual infor- mation for students who are blind and visually impaired. These accessibility features are not new. In fact, captions are used by many people, whether they have hearing loss or not. But pro- ducers of educational media often work on a tight budget and do not see the cost benefit of adding these features. Therefore, it is even more important that educators understand these fea- tures and their importance to all students. CAPTIONS Captions are the textual equivalent of what is being said in a video, and they are time synced with the audio. But they in- clude more than just the dialogue; they also include speaker identification, sound effects and music description. A variety of terms are used to label captions in online media, broadcast con- tent and DVDs. Broadcast content uses “closed captions,” which means the captions can be turned on or off. There are also “open

captions,” which are part of the video and cannot be turned off. Online media and DVDs often use the term “subtitles.” Subti- tles are intended to provide a translation of the spoken content for individuals who speak a different language than that of the video. Captions are different from subtitles in that they are in- tended for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing. Cap- tions include all auditory content, not just what is spoken. Captions provide access for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, but they also benefit everyone. They promote literacy for children and adults by strengthening reading speed, comprehension, spelling and grammar skills. They improve clar- ity and comprehension of the sounds and dialogue, particularly when poor audio, heavy accents, background noises and other such media elements are present. They allow individuals to fol- low along with the dialogue even when they do not have access to sound on their computer or mobile device (e.g., in a noisy area with no headphones, or when using devices with faulty or missing sound cards or drivers). Captions are becoming more and more mainstream; the qual- ity of the captions is much more evident when everyone can use them. The FCC requires that captions on broadcast television be: accurate, synchronous, complete and properly placed. More in- formation can be found on the FCC website. The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) has more in-depth standards in their Captioning Key, which is researched-based to provide the most readable and accessible captions for all levels, children through adults. Often, videos are captioned using the “easiest” method possible, and less skilled readers are not taken into ac-

CINDY CAMP is the Marketing and Communications Specialist with DCMP. She holds a Master’s degree in English, is a nationally certified interpreter, as well as a C-Print captioninst and trainer. She has provided access services for students with disabilities for over 25 years.

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count. A person who is fluent in English and proficient in read- ing can easily understand captions that are less than ideal, such as those that are in all capital letters. Research has shown that words in all capital letters are more difficult to read and slow down the reading process. While an adult whose first language is English can read captions that are in all caps without difficulty, a child who is not a skilled reader or a person whose first lan- guage is not English will likely struggle. Another shortcut to captioning that is frequently discussed is automatic speech recognition software. One example that many people are familiar with is YouTube’s automatic captions. These are usually far from accurate and often cause more confusion than no captions. An additional drawback is they inadvertent- ly add incorrect words such as profanity. It is not only embar- rassing but also inappropriate to use these captions with stu- dents. Technology has improved tremendously and there might come a day when captions can be automated, but it is not cur- rently possible. Educational videos need the highest quality of captions be- cause students are learning important content. This is doubly true for students who are deaf or hard of hearing and depend on the captions to access the meaning of the video. DESCRIPTION Equally important is description for students who are blind or have low vision. Description is the verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions. Also known as "audio description" or "video description," the description of media involves the interspersion of these depictions with the program's original audio. A second type of description is known as “expanded description.” When a video has many key visual elements but very little pause in dialogue, the video may be paused so that additional description can be added. This can be especially helpful with math and science videos, which tend to have a lot of dialogue and critical visual components. Description is the key to opening a world of information for persons with a vision loss or literacy needs. The American Foun- dation for the Blind reports that 26.9 million American adults have vision loss and 568,202 children with vision difficulties in the U.S. While description was developed for people who are blind or visually impaired, sighted children may also benefit from description’s concise, objective translation of media’s key visual components. Specialized learners, such as students with learning differences, English language learners, and children on the autism spectrum, can benefit from its value in literacy devel- opment (e.g., vocabulary and reading) and content learning. DC- MP’s Listening is Learning campaign focuses on these benefits. The amount of description available on broadcast television and popular movies lags behind closed captioning. In the 1990s, the FCC set up a tiered approach to mandate that an ever-in- creasing amount of broadcast content be captioned. Today, very little programming is exempt from this regulation. The FCC man-

dated that major broadcast networks and cable companies pro- vide 50 hours of described programming per quarter by April 2002. The amount has increased since, but there is still very lim- ited availability of described programming. The problem is even more dramatic in the area of educational media, as less than 10% of educational media is described. The purpose of educational media is to engage students and enhance learning. This will not happen for students who are vi- sually impaired if the media does not contain high-quality de- scription. The DCMP Description Key states that description must be: • Accurate: There must be no errors in word selection, pro- nunciation, diction or enunciation. • Prioritized: Content essential to the intended learning and enjoyment outcomes is of primary importance. • Consistent: Both the description content and the voicing should match the style, tone and pace of the program. • Appropriate: Consider the intended audience, be objec- tive and seek simplicity and succinctness. • Equal: Equal access requires that the meaning and inten- tion of the program be conveyed. THE DESCRIBED AND CAPTIONED MEDIA PROGRAM (DCMP) Because videos are a popular medium for teachers and many educational videos are not accessible to students with disabil- ities, teachers may try to find work-arounds or simply not use video. Neither of these is an appropriate solution. Video can be a great teaching tool, and accessible media enhances the learning opportunities for all students. The best solution is to use educa- tional media that comes with high-quality accessibility features. This is where DCMP can help. DCMP maintains an online vid- eo library of over 8,000 educational titles that are captioned and described. The project is funded through the U.S. Department of Education and administered through the National Association of the Deaf. All services are free of charge. This may sound too good to be true, but it is a truly free re- source for parents and educators. To access the online videos, membership is needed. There is a simple online form to fill out. Then an email is sent out to verify that the application email is an active address. Once the email is validated, DCMP staff will review and approve qualified applicants, then information is sent about how to access the account. Family members and pro- fessionals with early learners through Grade 12 students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired or deaf-blind qualify for membership. If for some reason a person does not qualify for a full account, DCMP’s collection offers over 1,000 vid- eos that are Open Educational Resources (OER), meaning they are available to everyone. Another DCMP resource that is open to everyone is the Learn- ing Center. It contains hundreds of posts on education, accessi- bility and advocacy as well as captioning and description stan-

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dards in the Captioning Key and Description Key . Families of these children can use DCMP resources at home. For example, if a family learns their newborn child is deaf, they can begin learning sign language through videos in the DCMP collection. They can also learn about other language op- tions and educational choices for their child. As the child grows, there are ASL storytelling videos they can watch. Then when the child enters school, there will be videos for use in the classroom. Teachers and other professionals can use DCMP media in the classroom but also for professional development. Series such as Physics Girl , hosted by MIT graduate Dianna Cowern, help teach high school students about physics through experiments, demonstrations and cool new discoveries. Teachers wanting to learn more about working with students who are deaf and stu- dents who are blind will enjoy the FSDB Pineapple Professional Development series. This series demonstrates teaching meth- ods and instructional strategies for best practices in the class- room. As long as a teacher has one qualifying student, they are eligible for a free account and can use DCMP materials in all sec- tions of that class, even if there is only one qualifying student in one section. DCMP has educational videos for early learners through high school and into transition. There are videos on all academic top- ics: math, science, language arts, history and much more. But there are also videos on topics such as building social skills, self-advocacy, resilience and others. DCMP has videos on a broad range of topics to support a well-rounded education and healthy life habits. The media in the DCMP collection is all high-quality educa- tional content. These videos are commercially produced by com- panies such as PBS Digital Studios, PBS Learning Media, History Channel, Sesame Studios, The Fred Rogers Company, Universal Kids, National Geographic, National Science Foundation and Scholastic, to name a few. Additionally, the videos are correlated with Common Core and state standards. Each video page shows a link to “Standards” along with production information. A per- son who is logged into their account will see standards listed for their state, as the system automatically connects with that member’s information. The member can then view all standards the video matches and search for additional videos that meet those standards. It is easy to search for videos that teach a spe- cific standard and to document which standards a video meets.

DCMP media can be accessed through almost any Inter- net-enabled device: standard computer, laptop, tablet or smart- phone. There is an iOS app, a Roku channel and an Apple TV channel. Most videos are also available on DVD because some DCMP users do not have reliable Internet service for streaming videos or they might prefer DVDs to play during long road trips. DVDs can be ordered at no charge, as DCMP pays postage for shipping and return. Those using an app or specialized device to access DCMP media should not forget to check out the website periodically. It contains additional features and more than just the media library. The DCMP website allows members to set browsing prefer- ences so they can narrow their search for media. The grade lev- el, accessibility feature, and runtime can be set as filters. DCMP has content in English and Spanish, both captioned and de- scribed. For example, a middle school teacher with a student who is blind can set browse preferences of grade levels to 4-6 and accessibility to English description. This will filter the search results and provide videos that will match specific needs. DCMP uses player-based captions and description, which means the user has more flexibility and control over the viewing experience. When viewing captions, the text size, style and col- or can be modified, as well as the background color. This allows customization for students who may be deaf and low vision, or a student who just prefers a specific style of captions. If a video is available in both English and Spanish, the user can choose to play the audio track in Spanish and show English captions. This is great for bilingual families or English language learner (ELL) students. Captions and description can be played simultaneous- ly. This is helpful if a teacher happens to have a student who is deaf and a student who is blind in the same class, or a student with both hearing and vision loss. Another customization fea- ture is the playback speed. The playback speed can be slowed to allow students who are deaf more time to take in the visuals and the captions. Actually, this feature can be beneficial to all stu- dents, since some academic videos can be fast paced. Slowing it down can allow everyone more time to process the information. DCMP videos also come with a transcript. On each video page, there is a button below the video for “transcript.”The system will default to the caption transcript; however, users can choose the description transcript, or both. This feature allows users to search through the video to find specific words and phrases. The

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portunities for teachers and professionals to earn continuing ed- ucation units (CEU). DCMP offers three formats for professionals to earn CEUs: modules, workshops, and QuickClasses. Modules and workshops are shorter, self-paced trainings. QuickClasses are three-week, facilitated, asynchronous, online courses. All who successfully complete a training will receive a certificate for their records. Additionally, the trainings are pre-approved for credit with ACVREP (Academy for Certification of Vision Rehabil- itation & Education Professionals) and RID (Registry of Interpret- ers for the Deaf). For those working with older students, DCMP offers a mul- titude of transition-related resources. There are videos that ex- plore various career options as well as videos for learning how to write a résumé and go on a job interview. There are also on- line modules which provide more in-depth information and in- teraction: Getting a Job! for Students Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired , Getting a Job! for Students Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing , and Map It: What Comes Next?. DCMP provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind. The ultimate goal of the DCMP is for accessible media to be an integral tool in the teaching and learning process for all stakeholders in the edu- cational community, including students, educators and other school personnel, parents, service providers, businesses, and agencies. We often think the goal of captions and descriptions is to pro- vide equal access for individuals with disabilities. However, ac- cessible features benefit everyone and support the goal of Uni- versal Design. Making media accessible increases the learning potential for all students. Poor-quality captions and descriptions benefit no one. To quickly and easily find accessible, educational media, look no further than The Described and Captioned Media Program.

user can then jump to that point in the video. Additionally, tran- scripts can be downloaded. They can be provided to students to use as a study guide or to highlight for notes. They help teachers pre-teach vocabulary. They also provide accessibility to students who are deaf-blind. These students can be given an electronic copy of both the captions and description transcripts, and then use technology to access it or be given a copy in braille. COMING SOON Two more exciting features that will be launching soon are Clip Builder and Lesson Builder. Clip Builder will allow teachers to select a segment of a video and play only that segment or select segments from multiple videos and create a playlist. This will make it easy to play clips of the same topic from different sources so that students can be exposed to the topic multiple times in various ways. Lesson Builder will allow teachers to insert quiz questions in between video clips, permitting a student to watch a few minutes of a video, then answer questions before being allowed to move on. This interactive approach is designed to motivate students and enhance learning. To increase student involvement, teachers/parents can set up student accounts. Typically, students are not allowed to have full access accounts because not all media is appropriate for all age levels. DCMP wants to ensure that sensitive topics are monitored by a teacher or other adult. However, the adult member can create an account for their student(s). The teacher/parent sets up the account and then decides which videos the student will have access to. Access can be given by grade level and category or by individual video. For example, the adult can give access to content through Grade 6 in the categories of mathematics, lan- guage arts and history. They can also choose individual videos the student can watch. In this way teachers can use the flipped classroom model, where the students watch a video at home and then discuss it in class. They can assign videos as additional content to support a lesson. They can also allow access to videos that can be used as a reward. For example, if students complete work early, they are allowed to watch a video of their choosing from their DCMP account. DCMP has many videos that can be labeled edutain- ment. These are videos that are entertaining for the students but have educational goals. Some popular titles in this category are: Bill Nye the Science Guy, Paw Patrol, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Dog Whisperer, Top Chef Junior, Peg + Cat and many more. These videos can be rewards for students, and they may never realize they are still learning. In addition to content for students, DCMP also has content la- beled Adults & Educators. This content is intended for the adults to learn more ways to help their students. There are videos about specific disabilities and what parents and teachers need to know. There are videos about teaching strategies. There are videos on encouraging self-advocacy, promoting good mental health and strategies for preventing bullying. There are also op-

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