Since 2017, I have been actively involved for the development of a cartoon series (aimed for children aged 2-4 years) in Turkish Sign Languages (TID), which will be broadcasted on the Turkish National Channel for the kids soon. In this project, which is the first of its kind for TID, the aim is to present exposed children, both deaf and hearing, to TID as much as possible in an educationally constructed way. The plots are written by taking 5-10 key lexical signs that have been found to appear at different points in the lexical development trajectory in deaf children acquiring TID (based on the findings of a previous project led by me and supported by TUBITAK, 2015-2017). I have been acting as the head of the advisory board, which includes several deaf and hearing researchers.
Here are some links to the media coverage for this project:
- https://www.trtworld.com/video/focal-point/cartoon-for-kids-with-hearing-impairment/5b3e486ab74217336d1e972b
- https://www.trthaber.com/haber/kultur-sanat/trt-cocuk-sessizlige-isik-olacak-372542.html
- https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/yasam/cocuklarin-arasindaki-farkliliklar-el-feneri-cizgi-filmiyle-kalkacak/1191459
- https://www.aydinlik.com.tr/sagir-cocuklara-isaret-dili-ogreten-cizgi-film-turkiye-ocak-2019-1