Search for European Projects

Teaching Sign Language and the Culture of the Deaf

The main objectives of this project were to raise awareness on European deaf culture, illustrate teaching methods for deaf students, and introduce the theory behind sign language. The course was aimed at reaching those with experience in sign language but without formal teaching qualifi cations. The opportunity to study in one’s own native language is vital for free and equal access to education. To this end, the project hoped to develop educational materials that would give deaf instructors and teachers an opportunity to advance their professional skills. The project included two test courses titled “Teaching and Sign Language” and the “Culture of the Deaf”. During the fi rst test course, all the lectures and workshops were interpreted in the fi ve national sign languages of the partner countries involved. The second test course was given in International Sign Language to off er an alternative educational perspective on the same subjects to a diff erent target group. An intranet site was developed for the continued networking of partners and course participants, and high-quality visual and multilingual teaching materials were created to support the test courses. In addition, the project’s materials were accessible through an interactive DVD. Press releases, leafl ets, seminar presentations, articles, and the Internet were all used to spread the information developed by the project. The training course included a preparatory phase during which all relevant course materials were provided to participants in advance. During the follow-up phase, the students took part in discussions about subjects provided on the intranet. The course can be viewed in several sign- and written-language versions. Besides off ering a broad selection of materials for teaching and learning sign language, the disc also contains unique ideas for cross-linguistic research. There is a strong potential for the materials developed in the project to be used in other applications, as was originally intended by its developers. The success and depth of the project is illustrative of the active contribution from all members of the partnership.
Up2Europe Ads

Coordinator

Details

1 Partners Participants