In March 2015, the U.S. Department of Education announced the availability of free, video-on-demand children’s television programming for thousands of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, or hard of hearing.
Dozens of children’s and family TV episodes may now be viewed online featuring closed captioning and descriptions through the Education Department’s Accessible Television Portal project. Among the shows: “Ocean Mysteries,” “Magic School Bus,” “Bill Nye the Science Guy,” “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood,” “Expedition Wild” and “Peg + Cat.”
To view the content | Teachers and school personnel, parents, and other professionals working with qualified students can visit www.dcmp.org and apply for access to the portal. Once approved, accessible content can be used with, and by, students in the classroom and at home via the Web, mobile phones and tablets, mobile apps, and set-top boxes. The portal itself is fully accessible to those with sensory impairments. Children with disabilities can locate any featured program without difficulty.
More information about this program is available in the Department’s press release.