Captioned Films for the Deaf

In 1959 an Act of Congress authorized the establishment of Captioned Films for the Deaf, an agency which for the past two decades has been of inestimable benefit to the hearing impaired of the entire nation. Established first as an agency of the United States Office of Education, Department of Health and Welfare, Captioned Films for the Deaf continues today, under the title Media for the Handicapped, to expand the frontiers of film services for the deaf.

In recent correspondence with Jack R. Gannon, Director of Alumni and Public Relations at Gallaudet College and Executive Secretary of the Gallaudet College Alumni Association, I have become aware that there is a widespread lack of information—as well as much misinformation—concerning the origins and development of Captioned Films for the Deaf.

I am writing this short account to help clarify both the history of Captioned Films and the roles various people have played in its creation.