HILO, HI – On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, a first of it’s kind morning bulletin was played in all classrooms at Hilo High School. For the first time, a KVIKS News Bulletin had an American Sign Language interpreter in the lower right corner doing a close translation of the spoken words found in our normal morning bulletin. On the day before, the request to do something like this came in at 3 PM and it was quickly approved by KVIKS Media advisors as a trial run.
Advisor Luke Eclipse-Ujano said,
I was not aware that it was Deaf Awareness Month until after the bulletin was posted. What a surprise! I observed how it takes a longer amount of time to sign a simultaneous translation. The anchor was not aware that their video would be translated, therefore, they did not even attempt to read at a slower pace. As a result, most of the translation was sped up to 140%. With these factors in mind, we will use technology to help adapt the script in a way that includes the main point and shortens the time it takes to sign at a more reasonable pace.
Not all KVIKS News Bulletins will include an American Sign Language provision. Currently, a goal will be set to shoot for at least one per week. Special thanks to Kuʻulei Alameda for making this recommendation and for volunteering to be our first sign language interpreter on screen.
