GMA 7’s AHA! promotes sign language
GMA 7’s top-rating and long-running science and infotainment program AHA! will incorporate the teaching of sign language in its episodes beginning today. Airing Sundays at 8:15 a.m.,
AHA! is the only program in the Philippines that teaches the said method of communication.
Sign language on TV is usually presented by a “signer” that appears on a small box on the bottom left corner of the screen as the program is being broadcast. Believing that inclusiveness is integral in learning, AHA! will now enable the sign language to share the limelight with the spoken or oral language.
For host Drew Arellano, teaching sign language in AHA! is a welcome addition to the show. Drew says being among people who can only communicate through sign language can be a challenge so he can only imagine how hearing-impaired individuals feel when being with those who can clearly hear.
AHA! is a weekly program that dishes out interesting facts and trivia about a wide array of topics. Each episode promises new discoveries in the form of wacky adventures, making learning more fun. By teaching sign language in every AHA! episode, the hearing-impaired viewers will be able to appreciate the show better and will have a healthier relationship with the rest of the show’s audience and vice-versa.
Along with this move to introduce and teach sign language to a broader audience and to create a greater awareness of it as another means of communication, AHA! also aims to promote core Filipino and social media values in its episodes. This will further bolster the program’s thrust in promoting science and learning as cool, enjoyable and accessible to all — be it for hearing or hearing-impaired children.
Ever since its first airing in 2010, AHA! remains the No. 1 program on its timeslot. It continues to earn the nod of various award-winning bodies. It has consistently been a recipient of the Anak TV Seal Award since 2010. It won as Best Lifestyle Show while Drew was cited as Best Lifestyle Show Host during the 2015 Philippine Movie Press Club (PMPC) Star Awards for Television.