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PBS KIDS adds ASL interpretations to 6 PBS KIDS series
May 3, 2024 Leave a Comment
PBS KIDS is advancing its mission to serve all kids and families by integrating American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations into six of its series, which are now available for free on PBS KIDS digital streaming platforms.
This new content builds on PBS KIDS’ unwavering dedication to inclusivity, aiming to empower children to engage with content in ways that best suit their individual needs and preferences, with accessibility top of mind.
PBS KIDS has integrated ASL interpretations into 10 episodes of Alma’s Way, Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, and Work It Out Wombats!.
Research for this project began in 2021, and came to fruition through several partnerships, including GBH Kids, Fred Rogers Productions, Bridge Multimedia and the Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP).
Because PBS KIDS’ content primarily serves early-childhood audiences, ages 2 through 8 years old, engaging with its target audience through ASL is especially impactful when they are deaf or hard of hearing. This age range is not ready to use closed captions yet because they’re too young to read.
In an exclusive with Fast Company, Sara DeWitt, senior vice president and general manager for PBS Kids says, “It’s not just three or four episodes, this is a full library. Then we’ll be able to see how kids can engage with the different approaches within the different shows, and to make sure it’s really resonating. Our hope would be that we can continue to work with these organizations and expand beyond this.”
Laura says:
This is so great as I have a deaf son who loves Daniel tiger and this just made it so much better of an experience to him thanks for helping advocate for the ones who can’t speak for themselves
Kelly H. says:
I work in Deaf Education and I can’t even begin to describe the positive impact this will have on Deaf and Hard of hearing children. Language access at a young age is such a huge indicator of future academic success, social emotional growth, and feelings of identity and belonging. Thank you!