March 13 – April 15, 2010 is Deaf History Month

In observance of Deaf History Month, Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) will be showing online its two captioned educational films for the public to enjoy.

The first one will be a demonstration of its first captioned educational film that was ever created in 1962. What did it look like or has captioning changed since then? Curious?

You can find out by watching Rockets: How They Work on the YouTube channel on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdMgm3oOrF8

A resource containing both the original script and caption script for Rockets (PDF) is also provided for those interested n examining the information that was included in early captioned films, when comprehensive guidelines such as the Captioning Key were not yet available.

The second one is a rare video of Robert “Bob” Panara, renowned deaf educator, which DCMP will be launching this week. Please watch “Robert Panara: a Profile” on the DCMP YouTube channel for a background about him and his telling about the history of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf at the Rochester Institute of Technology (where he was the first deaf professor). There is also a sampling of interpretive poetry, which includes several short haikus, favorites such as John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields, and even one of Bob’s original poems, On His Deafness.

http://www.dcmp.org/FlashLanding/SecureFlash.aspx?G=32491 In addition to the version posted on YouTube, there is also one available with audio description of Bob’s poetry in ASL

Deaf History Month Trivia:

1. Who is currently known as the Father of Closed Captioning?

2. What is the name of deaf author who wrote, “Teaching from the Heart and Soul: The Robert F. Panara Story?”

Answers:

1. Dr. Malcolm J. Norwood. In December 1979, Karen Brickett had an interview with him at the University of Maryland. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qDzvP3CASE&feature=channel

2. Dr. Harry G. Lang

http://gupress.gallaudet.edu/reviews/TFHSrevw.html

Interested to know more about DCMP’s resources, please visit http://www.dcmp.com

DCMP is funded by the US Department of Education and administrated by the National Association of the Deaf. They have the newsletter that you may sign up. .

Submitted by Alice L. Hagemeyer, President

FOLDA and creator of the “I Made America Great” Series

http://www.imadeamericagreat.webs.com