[Pibe-division] Audio Description

[Carrie Gilmer]

Carrie Gilmer, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
A Division of the National Federation of the Blind
NFB National Center: 410-659-9314
Home Phone: 763-784-8590
carrie.gilmer at gmail.com
www.nfb.org/nopbc



Dear parents, teachers, and students,

Most people know of us as a captioning company - it's even in our name,
CaptionMax. What you may not know is that we're also a major provider of
educational audio description services. We have described thousands of hours
of television and  educational DVD programs, enabling blind students pre-K
through 12 to be able to access the media as effectively as their sighted
peers. Many of our programs are also of interest to post-secondary students
and adults.

However, many consumers and teachers are not aware that the description is
there, waiting to be used. We're reaching out to you, both to raise
awareness and to seek your feedback on our work. In this note, you will find
all the information you need to begin using CaptionMax-described programming
today.

DESCRIBED TELEVISION PROGRAMMING

All you have to do is turn it on!  Don't know how to do that? Then please
read on.

There are lots of audio described programs available on television. Most PBS
programs are described, including children's programs, documentaries, and
other series. Activating audio description (AD) will make those programs
easier to follow and enjoy.

If you're not sure how to activate audio description (AD) on your
television, try our handy web guide:

    * Overview of AD:
http://www.captionmax.com/en/viewer-info/for-teachers/AD
    * Activating AD on your TV:
http://www.captionmax.com/en/viewer-info/for-teachers/AD/TV

Follow the menu links for additional hints on activating AD on cable, VCRs,
and DVDs.

Check here for a list of television series that we describe:
http://www.captionmax.com/en/viewer-info/shows-we-describe

In addition to series, we also do lots of documentaries and other programs.
Check your PBS schedule for a list of described programming.

DESCRIBED DVDS

CaptionMax is the largest producer of audio description services for
non-broadcast educational media. Here's a list of the programs we've
described so far, and we're adding to it every week!
http://www.captionmax.com/en/viewer-info/captionmax-shows/UAM-accessible-med
ia-list

One of the coolest features of our educational DVDs is that the menus are
auto-described. That means all you have to do is pop in the DVD, and you'll
start hearing the menu options. You can control everything with the forward
and enter buttons. A feature we are especially proud of is expanded
description, in which the video freezes to allow more detailed description
of an object or scene.

"How do I get these programs?" you may ask. There are several ways:

FREE LOAN: If you're a parent or student, visit our page
(http://www.dcmp.org/Categories/categories2.aspx?C=CAPTIONMAX) at the
Described Captioned Media Program (DCMP) website. Once you register on the
DCMP site, you can obtain via download or DVD (including free shipping) any
of our programs. There are just two requirements to be eligible for the
service: 1.) You must be a parent of, teacher of, or student with a hearing
or vision loss, and 2.) You must fill out a short evaluation form after use.
To register visit DCMP's registration page:
http://www.dcmp.org/Register.aspx

PURCHASE: If you're a teacher or librarian, we encourage you to follow the
links
(http://www.captionmax.com/en/viewer-info/captionmax-shows/UAM-accessible-me
dia-list) on our website to the program distributors, where you can buy and
learn about our described programs and more.

If you've listened to one of our described programs, please send us a note
and let us know what you think!
http://www.captionmax.com/en/contact-captionmax. We read every email that
comes in, and answer every question. We are also proud to say that consumer
feedback is an integral part of how we do what we do. Please send us your
thoughts and input, so that we may be able to better serve you.

/Max/