Updated January 14, 2015.

If I had known about the Captioned Media Program (CMP) when I was a teenager, it might have helped me to avoid the first (and only) detention I ever got.

My English class was watching the 1968 film Romeo and Juliet. Of course, I could not understand the movie without captions. I complained but was told I had to watch it with the rest of the class. After three or so days of the torment of sitting through a movie I could not understand, I cut class in protest.

I got caught and had to go to detention. This was in the late 1970s.

I had actually had earlier exposure to the Captioned Media Program's films, but didn't know that they were the source of the films I saw at the local community college (as described in Growing Up Deaf - Going to the Movies) and in the deaf summer camp.

History of the Captioned Media Program

Since 1958, the Captioned Media Program has provided free loan open captioned media to the deaf and hard of hearing community. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf.
A detailed history of the Captioned Media Program, originally known as the Captioned Films for the Deaf, can be found on pp. 266-269 of Deaf Heritage. Briefly, here is the history:

1. A deaf man, Emerson Romero, dreamed of a captioned films library in the late 1940s.
2. In the early '50s, Dr. Edmund boatner, administrator of the American School for the Deaf, established the Captioned Films for the Deaf as a nonprofit. This was too expensive to do so Boatner approached a senator about introducing a bill to have the U.S. government support a captioned films program. This was P.L. 85-905, effective September 2, 1958.

1. The program nearly died from inadequate funding and being originally limited to entertainment films; when its mission expanded to include educational films, things improved.

Captioned Media Program Today

Today the Captioned Media Program's mission has vastly expanded. Not only do they continue to lend open captioned media for free, but they also offer video streaming of hundreds of their titles. I especially like the video streaming; I watched a film about the history of the Gallaudet Dance Company.
While some of their offerings can be considered entertainment, the vast majority are educational or classic films. The educational product often comes with lesson guides for teachers. New product is constantly being added. Being on the Captioned Media Program's "Approved Captioning Service Vendor List" is a competitive badge of honor for captioning service providers. In fact, this seal of approval from the CMP is the ONLY way to guarantee that a captioning company's work is up to par, which is even more critical given that mandatory captioning has resulted in a huge increase in captioning service providers.

In addition, the program's website offers a clearinghouse of captioning and other assistive technology information. Most of the material can be downloaded in PDF format. This section is a wealth of material, including:

• A history section with a brief history of the program.
• General technical information about captioning.
• Information to help captioning service providers earn CMP approval.
• Legal information.
• A downloadable promotional flyer about CMP.
• Information for parents.

Spanish Captioned Media

To meet the need of the nation's growing Hispanic deaf community, some of the CMP's offerings are available with Spanish captions/subtitles. To find them, browse the CMP catalog, go to the Language Arts section, and select Spanish. Alternatively, go to the Media Room, select "Flyers," and on the Flyers page there is a Spanish section that includes a downloadable PDF of Spanish educational videos.

How Media is Chosen for the Captioned Media Program

Media evaluation teams consider which educational and general interest media to caption. Users of the Captioned Media Program can recommend titles for inclusion. The site has a downloadable pdf that explains this annual process in full detail.