Deaf/hearing impaired Education news

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Campaigns promote captions in schools in 2012

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As the use of audiovisual resources in mainstream classrooms increases, so does the need for captions to be used as a learning tool for all students. A number of school-based campaigns encouraging teachers to turn on captions have been successfully launched around the world and continue in 2012.

One such program, Read Captions Across America (RCAA), is celebrating its annual ‘Read Captions Across America Day’ on 2 March.

Run through a partnership between the Described and Captioned Media Program and the National Education Association, RCAA raises awareness of the effectiveness of videos with captions in encouraging and fostering reading skills in children.

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International policy and legislation

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Report from America on a world leading education initiative

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The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) is a US initiative run by the Department of Education and the National Association of the Deaf. Its aim is to provide equal access to communication and education to students who are Deaf, hearing impaired, blind, vision impaired or deaf-blind. Media Access Australia CEO, Alex Varley, recently visited the DCMP headquarters in South Carolina and was impressed with the developments and new focus that it is taking.

Following the announcement of continued government funding, the DCMP offers a range of services promoting inclusion for children with disabilities. Importantly, these services are adapted to meet changing needs.

“A newer area of captioning in the USA is Spanish captions to service the large Hispanic population. The DCMP is going to devote around 25% of its resources towards Spanish language services,” said Varley.

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Captions

Audiovisual materials

Blind or vision impaired

Deaf or hearing impaired

Audio description

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Australian policy and legislation

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Pressure placed on Prime Minister to consider the needs of students with disabilities

At a cabinet meeting in Tasmania this week, Prime Minister Julia Gillard was approached by the mother of a child with a disability, and urged to direct more money towards this area of need. Gillard acknowledged the necessity for greater focus on this area and that the promised $200 million extra funding for students with disabilities is a move toward this.

The $200 million funding, part of the More Support for Students with Disability initiative, was announced earlier this year. The funding will be available from early 2012 and will be directed to a range of services, depending upon the needs of specific students. The funding could, for example, be directed toward the provision of assistive technology for students who have a hearing impairment.

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Data projector helps deaf and hearing impaired kids at school

The need for accessible media in schools is becoming more recognised by technology providers. Epson has announced the release of two new projectors which spark hope for greater accessibility in the classroom.

The Epson PowerLite S11 and X12 include as one of their listed features closed caption display capability. The inclusion of this feature in the product description highlights the need for access to multimedia content for students who are deaf or have a hearing impairment. With 83% of students with a hearing impairment attending mainstream schools, equitable access to multimedia content is a necessity. As technology providers take greater interest in this arena of accessibility, the result can only be positive outcomes for these students.

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Digital technology

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