Educational screen & audio-visual guide (c1956-1971])

"Talkies" For The Deaf Through Captioned Films by John A. Gough _r OR the quarter of a million Americans who are deaf, a new program of captioned films in the U. S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare offers untold possibilities. An ardent devotee of the cinema in the days of silent films, the deaf moviegoer was effectively cut off from a favorite form of amusement when pictures acquired a voice. Even with the help of speech reading and seats equipped with hearing aids, the profoundly deaf person found it impossible to follow the "talkies." Occasional foreign films with English subtitles became the only film fare that the deaf could enjoy. For instructional purposes, the captioned filmstrip was the only filmed medium that had wide use in schools and classes for the deaf. To relieve this situation, Dr. E. B. Boatner, superintendent of the American School for the Deaf, West Hartford, Connecticut, secured financial aid from the Junior League of that city in 1948 to establish a captioned films program. Dr. Clarence O'Connor of the Lexington School for the Deaf in New York joined Dr. Boatner in the enterprise which was chartered as a non-profit corporation. J. Pierre Rakow, a deaf member of the group, set to work to learn the techniques of film captioning. Mr. Rakow was not the first deaf man to struggle with the production of captioned films for the deaf. He was preceded by Emerson Romero of New York who used the technique of splicing in titles to explain the action of sound pictures. Films treated in this manner proved to be too long. With frequent interruption of the action, audiences tended to grow restive. To avoid these difficulties, Mr. Rakow sought to put the titles directly on the picture image. Facilities for accomplishing this were located in Egypt and in Europe, so the first films were captioned abroad. The R.K.O. Company provided the initial films for the project. Later Columbia Pictures leased a number of its feature pictures for captioning. Within a few years. Captioned Films for the Deaf, Inc., had developed thirty feature pictures with English subtitles. These were distributed to schools for the deaf in the United States for a nominal rental. The pictures were used primarily for week-end entertaii ment in residential schools. Seeing the implications of this program on an ei larged scale that would provide a greater variety ( films to more groups of deaf jjersons, interested spoi sors joined hands with numerous agencies concerne with the education arid advancement of the deaf I promote federal legislation for such a service. Exper ence had shown that expansion of the program was a but impossible as a private venture. Costs were tc high and effective demand too small on a commerci basis. Federal support seemed to be the onh altera tive. Precedent was alreadv established in the existir program of Talking Books for the Blind, administere by the Library of Congress. The Captioned Film program was enacted in federal law in 1958 with the passage of P.L. 85-90 Arthur Flemming, then Secretary of Health, Educ tion, and Welfare, assigned the program to the U. Office of Education, Edvicational Media Branch. TJ law authorized a maximum annual expenditure $250,000 for the program, but smaller sums ha\e bei allocated thus far. To help get the program started, Dr. Boatne group, before dissolving, donated its thirty films the Government in 1959. Distribution of the pictur was set up in the film service branch of the U. Department of Agriculture. Addition of more captio ed film subjects was undertaken by the Office Education as rapidly as funds became available. At present the Captioned Film program has in < cess of 500 groups of deaf persons registered for si vice. Showings reach more than 3,500 people monthOver half of the viewers are school children but t number of adults seeing captioned films is increasir The latter groups include social clubs of tlie deaf, str and local civic organizations of the deaf, and num ous church groups. Films are loaned free to all r( istered borrowers. Local organizations may not char admission. Television showings are barred by agr( ment with film producers and suppliers. Looking to the future, the film service is beginni 230 Educatio?jal Screen and Audiovisuai, Guide — May, 19