Learning Center

Paramount Global, Nickelodeon and DCMP Form Multi-Year Partnership to Make Brands' Globally Beloved Kids' Programming Accessible

NEW YORK (June 24, 2024) Paramount Global and The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) today announced an unprecedented partnership that ensures hundreds of hours of Nickelodeon’s hit animated and live-action series will be accessible to families with young viewers and students with disabilities. The multi-year agreement commences with several Nickelodeon series, including Bossy Bear, Tiny Chef Show, Blues Clues & You! and Santiago of the Seas and will include distribution via DCMP’s free streaming services for families and schools. Additional Nickelodeon series will be made available on DCMP’s services on a rolling basis through 2029.

In Memoriam: Bill Stark

It is with deep sadness we announce the passing of Bill Stark, a family member, friend, and colleague at the Described and Captioned Media Program. Bill was 80.

DCMP's AI Scene Description Tool

DCMP operates the nation’s largest fully-accessible educational video platform, with a library of 18,000 videos designed for use by early learner through Grade 12 students with disabilities. Our development team has been working on ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help with accessibility challenges, including those that might be considered “impossible.” We’re excited to present “AI Scene Description,” a new tool for students who are blind and have low vision that can describe the visual elements of any frame within a paused video.

Access: Working With Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Access: Working With Students Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision Module is designed for teachers working in general education who have students who are blind or have low vision. It is meant only as an overview and will touch on some of the most important aspects of educating students who have vision loss. It will provide resources for teachers to learn more on various topics.

Major Upgrades for DCMP's ASL Pop-Up Player

We’re excited to announce important upgrades in our ASL Pop-Up, a secondary video player that provides American Sign Language interpretation of video content. While we’ve been busy adding ASL to hundreds of videos in the DCMP streaming library, we’ve also been developing new ways to improve the user experience for our members.

Accessible Videos and Resources for Early Learners With Visual Impairment

DCMP provides resources to support early intervention and early childhood special education for educators, families, and support personnel with children with a disability. DCMP partners with top educational content producers to add audio description to videos and make them available to families and educators who have children with a disability. You can apply for free membership here. There is no cost for any DCMP services. If you need help turning on the audio description, you can read our Help Center article.

DCMP Partners With Slice of Pie Productions to Make Award-Winning Documentary "The Automat" Accessible With Audio Description

The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is proud to partner with Slice of Pie Productions to make its award-winning documentary The Automat accessible for persons who are blind and low vision. Produced and directed by Lisa Hurwitz and written by Michael Levine, The Automat explores Horn and Hardart’s Automat restaurants and includes fond memories of iconic Americans’ experiences, including actor Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elliot Gould, Carl Reiner, and Howard Schultz.

DCMP and Complexly Partner to Make Crash Course and SciShow Educational Content Accessible With Audio Description

The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is proud to partner with Complexly to make its highly acclaimed educational series Crash Course and SciShow accessible for people who are blind and low vision. DCMP is creating audio description, a secondary audio track that describes important visual information, for hundreds of episodes of Complexly content.

eLearning Modules for Students

DCMP has a variety of self-paced online learning modules designed for students and for teachers with students in transition. These modules are open to eLearners and full members. Click on the links below to read more about each module.

Content Creator and Distributor Contact Form

DCMP Distribution of Fully Accessible Streaming Media

DCMP partners with top educational and broadcast E/I content partners and distributors to make their content accessible and available to students with disabilities. High-quality audio description and captions are created, along with full masters, and in exchange, our partners make their content available on DCMP's targeted distribution services for schools and families who have students with disabilities. Access to DCMP is limited to qualified educators and family members who register online. Content can be secured through DRM protection upon request.

DCMP Partners

DCMP partners with the top content producers and distributors in North America to make educational and broadcast content accessible with captions, audio description, and American Sign Language. Thousands of videos, documentaries, and television series are available 24/7 on DCMP platforms for students who have disabilities.

Domains and Ports That Must Be Accessible to Use DCMP

In order to use DCMP services within your school's network, your browser needs to be able to access a number of required domains and ports. If you are having problems with playing DCMP media, please send this page to your IT department at your school or district and request these domains be allowed through your firewall. If you cannot access domains listed below, you will experience issues using DCMP services. All services communicate over ports 80 and 443. If you have additional questions please contact us at districtsupport@dcmp.org.

How to Access Audio Description on Your TV and Through DCMP

Television, movies, and videos are made accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired through the addition of audio description. Audio description is a secondary audio track with additional narration that describes important visual information in a video. It can be accessed in a number of ways, including through your TV remote through a button or voice controls. Instructions specific to many television providers and television sets can be found at the following link on the Audio Description Project (ADP) website:

DCMP Resources for Attendees of AER 2022

Welcome to DCMP! If you arrived here from attending the OSEP presentation at the 2022 AER Biennial International Conference, we invite you to spend some time exploring our accessible educational resources.