Advancing inclusive education through International Sign Erasmus Project

Project Title

Advancing inclusive education through International Sign

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 higher education

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2019

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Disabilities – special needs; Access for disadvantaged; Inclusion – equity

Project Summary

CONTEXT
Deaf students experience difficulties in communicating with non-deaf as well as with other deaf students from different nationalities due to the different languages used by both. Communication among deaf students through written text is not effective since deaf people are used to visual sign languages and not to oral languages being expressed orally or in written.
Providing channels for the communication and access to digital educational materials in a common sign language that all deaf students can understand is critical to facilitate the access of deaf students to education and promote their inclusion in the globalized society.
All sign languages are different despite sharing common characteristics. A key difference is that in the world of oral languages, English has become a de facto lingua franca which enables global mobility and active citizenship worldwide to all. Deaf communities may have similar opportunities if they have access to a globalized sign language. This sign language, named International Sign, exists but it is not commonly used except in big international congresses and global events, like the World Federation of the Deaf and COINES.
Our previous experience with the international deaf community clearly showed that deaf communities are very much closed in themselves. Except for a few cases, deaf students rarely contact other deaf and even less non-deaf people outside their family and close friends. This castrating isolation they are forced to live in is one of the main causes for the very frequent mental diseases and depression observed in young deaf students.
Raising awareness and promoting a preliminary contact with International Sign, at an early age in a school environment might be a significant contribution to open the global world of education and mobility to the deaf community. This is our purpose.
The INSIGN project establishes an innovative infrastructure to promote the communication between deaf and non-deaf as well as among international deaf students using International Sign, probably the simplest sign language to learn.
The INSIGN project transfers innovative research results and puts them to the service of the European community.

OBJECTIVES
The INSIGN project aims to promote the access of deaf students to education, mobility and global citizenship. The specific objectives are:
(a) promote the inclusion of deaf students in international education and their access to international mobility
(b) promote active citizenship of the deaf students in a globalized world

PARTICIPANTS
The partnership includes five partners and 27 associated partners. Four of these are higher education institutions (HEI). The remaining include one European association related to the transition from education to labour.
ASSOCIATED PARTNERS are end-users and the main stakeholders benefiting from the INSIGN outputs. They have key roles in the project and are our gateway to sustainability. The consortium will implement pilot installations at the Associated Partners to test the project outputs in real scenarios (list of Associated Partners available at ANNEX VII).

METHODOLOGY AND PROJECT ACTIVITIES
The project work plan covers an initial preparation phase aimed at implementing the required management framework and performing a comprehensive study of the educational content for deaf students.
At the implementation phase we will transfer the results from the VirtualSign research project. In concrete we will extend it to support International Sign, a product we will call the IS-Automatic Translator, and to develop applications to assist deaf students in educational settings and in daily life in international environment. We will organize certified staff training sessions in each country to train staff in the fundamental of International Sign and on the operation of the INSIGN applications.
At the closure of the project we will evaluate the IS-Automatic Translator through several pilot installations in the partners institutions. The results from the pilot installations and the outcomes of the project will be presented to the media and public at an open session.

RESULTS AND IMPACTS
In order to disseminate project activities and results, we will provide information to the stakeholders through press-releases, the INSIGN Community of Practice, the project website, Facebook, LinkedIn, email messages sent to the project stakeholders, participation, in conferences and other events and meetings.

LONG TERM BENEFITS
The INSIGN project promotes inclusive school by transferring to the civil society innovative assistive technology research products that facilitate the access to education to deaf people in an international environment. INSIGN provides unique conditions to promote social inclusion, active citizenship and an improved educational experience to the European deaf community.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 293014 Eur

Project Coordinator

Universität Siegen & Country: DE

Project Partners

• UNIVERZA V MARIBORU
• INSTITUTO POLITECNICO DO PORTO
• EUROPAIKOS SYNDESMOS PROSANATOLISMOU STADIODROMIAS
• ELLINIKO MESOGEIAKO PANEPISTIMIO