Developing online training modules for deaf staff Erasmus Project

Project Title

Developing online training modules for deaf staff

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Open and distance learning; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses

Project Summary

Background and participants
The project seeks to extend high quality innovative learning opportunities to a specific group of deaf adults, deaf practitioners (DPs), who work with deaf children in educational and health settings. DPs comprise a small group and are typically geographically spread and isolated from others doing similar work. DPs often have few qualifications and limited access to training for the work they undertake in supporting children with language learning difficulties, beyond fluency in sign language. This means they must develop their skills and knowledge incrementally as they work, without the benefit of learning from and sharing their knowledge with others. This is inefficient and results in staff lacking confidence in their skills because they lack sufficient foundation for their work. This includes a lack of shared vocabulary with which to discuss children’s language and communication issues with their colleagues, who are mainly hearing professionals. It is envisaged that 40 DPs will be involved in development and piloting of training modules, with more having access to developed modules online.

The project objectives and activities are:
1. To extend vocational training on child language acquisition and impairments in sign language pioneered by Hoskin (2017) more widely to DPs working in other European and non-European countries
2. To translate and adapt modules as needed into the signed and written languages of each partner country
3. To design a deaf-friendly online course format that incorporates blended learning and peer co-working, and can be adapted for use with different sign languages and be sustained on the Erasmus online platform EPALE, to be available for adaptation and use by other EU countries after the project ends
4. To pilot and evaluate delivery of modules in each partner country
5. To assess the feasibility of providing coaching and mentorship for deaf members of the workforce in health, education, youth work and the voluntary sector where their work relates to language development and language difficulties experienced by deaf children in signed languages
6. To run a Deaf Learning Event for DPs who work with deaf children, some of whom will have been involved in piloting the online modules, to meet others working in similar roles in different countries and share their learning experiences
7. To run National Workshops and an International Conference for project partners and a wider international audience of academics and service managers from health, education, youth work and the voluntary sector to launch the online modules
8. To investigate the feasibility of accrediting modules to recognise DPs learning

Results, impact and long term benefits
The development of sustainable online training will impact stakeholders in a number of ways, benefitting:

Project partners: by developing awareness of similarities and differences in the role and training of DPs in different countries, the opportunity to share skills and knowledge, and the end product, i.e. the provision of bespoke online training for DPs in different languages.

Deaf staff: DPs who participate in the project will benefit directly from training, the opportunity to share experiences with colleagues from other countries who share similar roles via attendance at the learning event and conference, and mentoring provided during the project. The project will seek to establish a DP support network which can be extended to other DPs not actively involved in the project. These staff will be in a prime position to disseminate information about the project within their own communities and to cascade the impact more widely than those directly involved, i.e. to DPs not involved the project. The aim to gain accreditation for DP learning will enable formal recognition of learning in a key area of vocational training.

The deaf community: the provision of sustainable, accessible high quality learning will benefit future groups of DPs working with deaf children, giving them better knowledge and skills relevant to their work and creating greater equality with staff in other sectors who are less disadvantaged in terms of the availability of training (e.g. teaching assistants in schools).

Deaf children and their families: from having staff who are better trained to work in this area.

Attendees at National Workshops and International Conference: These events will create opportunities for information about the project to be shared with a wide audience of international academics who train professionals who work alongside DPs, organisations representing these professional groups, professionals and their employers, voluntary organisations, the deaf community and families of deaf children. Raising awareness among these groups of the need for quality training for DPs and ways in which this can be achieved has the potential to have a long term impact on this sector of the deaf workforce.

Project Website

http://researchcentres.city.ac.uk/language-and-communication-science/developing-online-training-for-deaf-language-specialists-dotdeaf

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 132621,46 Eur

Project Coordinator

CITY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON & Country: UK

Project Partners

• FUNDACION CNSE PARA LA SUPRESION DE BARRERAS DE COMUNICACION
• EQUIPO ESPECIFICO DE DISCAPACIDAD AUDITIVA
• UNIVERSIDADE CATOLICA PORTUGUESA