VIDBE-Q 2025 Volume 70 Issue 2
It would seem that teachers who have students with disabilities in their
classrooms are stuck, right? There is no easy way to show an accessible
educational video in the classroom. WRONG! The Described and Captioned
Media Program (DCMP) is the go-to for easy access to educational videos on
demand that ARE accessible for all students. Best of all, the content is free.
DCMP is funded through the U.S. Department of Education. Its mission is to
promote and provide equal access to communication and learning through
described and captioned educational media. DCMP provides services designed to
support and improve the academic achievements of students who are blind,
visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind (DCMP, 2025).
Membership is free to professionals who work with students with disabilities
from birth through high school age. If a teacher has just one student in their class
with an IEP or 504 plan, they qualify for membership. Families can sign up and
stream DCMP videos at home as well. The process is easy. Individuals fill out a
short online form and then validate their emails. DCMP staff will process
applications in less than two business days. Teachers can expedite the process by
using their school email address. Once a teacher or parent has set up their account,
they can create account(s) for their student(s). This allows the adult to monitor
what the student has access to.
