Closed Captioning Blog

The National Education Association sponsors an annual event called Read Across America on March 2, which happens to be Dr. Seuss’s birthday.  On this day, schools host Read Across America activities to encourage children of all ages to become excited about reading. It has grown into a nationwide event, with celebrities, politicians, and athletes joining in on the reading fun.

In 2006, The National Association of the Deaf hosted the first Read Captions Across America event. DCMP has partnered with NEA for this event, stating, “A picture is worth a thousand words, but add print to the sound and TV becomes a reading tutor” (Captions for Literacy 2008). The purpose of this event is to raise awareness that television can be effective at encouraging reading skills as long as the captions are turned on. DCMP offers free media, lesson plans, and great event ideas for hosting your own RCAA event.  They also offer some advice on how to involve your community as well.

For more information and access to free captioned media to host your own RCAA event, visit (don’t forget to watch the Public Service Announcement produced by yours truly!):

http://readcaptionsacrossamerica.org/about.html