Looking to engage kids who are deaf or hard of hearing more meaningfully, PBS KIDS has teamed up with multiple organizations to add ASL interpretations to its shows for the first time ever.  

In partnership with GBH Kids, Fred Rogers Productions, Bridge Multimedia and the Described and Captioned Media Program, 10 episodes from these six series are getting the ASL upgrade: Arthur, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Pinkalicious & Peterrific, Work it Out Wombats!, Alma’s Way (pictured) and Donkey Hodie. The content is available on the US pubcaster’s digital streaming platforms starting today.  

PBS KIDS was already offering closed captioning and descriptive audio—in English and Spanish—but these more traditional accessibility features aren’t as effective for young deaf viewers, says Jen Rodriguez, director of research and inclusive design. Two- to eight-year-old viewers are learning to read, but many aren’t yet independent readers, so captions alone aren’t enough for them.  

Today’s rollout marks the culmination of a multi-year project that has involved reviewing literature, finding the right partners, and connecting with deaf and hard-of-hearing communities. One of the key takeaways from this research is that kids tend to have a more engaged viewing experience if interpreters look like the characters they’re translating. And PBS KIDS leaned into this insight when it was selecting interpreters for this initiative. 

PBS KIDS’ ASL episodes are only available on its digital platforms currently, but the pubcaster is considering adding them to its linear channel in the future, says Rodriguez. 

PBS KIDS wanted the ASL interpreters it selected to look like the characters they were translating, including, in the case of Arthur, making sure they wore glasses. Images courtesy of PBS KIDS.