Software for developing functional and emotional literacy skills in deaf children
Deaf children and young deaf people in Croatia generally have limited functional and emotional literacy skills compared to their hearing peers. This leads to low self-esteem, low levels of academic and professional achievement. In addition, there are no existing services to support deaf children to develop their Sign Language skills and emotional literacy.
This project aims to create, in cooperation with young deaf people, a bilingual computer programme, in written Croatian and Croatian Sign Language, aimed at addressing these issues and supporting deaf children to develop functional and emotional literacy.
Read The little deaf hero, an inspiring story written by Silvano, a 23 year old deaf man, for the software.
- Recipient:
- ProLingva
- Country:
- Croatia
- Project contact:
-
Vesna Ivasović (ProLingva)
- Start date:
- 15 March 2007
- End date:
- 15 March 2008
- Total budget:
- 114,013.60 HRK (�10,556.81)
- Beneficiary type:
- Young deaf people, School aged children, Pre-school aged children
- Project type:
- Sign language, Information materials
Summary:
The central aim of the project is to create a computer programme aimed at developing functional and emotional literacy in deaf children. Young deaf people will have an active role in developing the software content. Activities include: creating stories, signing the stories and language tasks in Croatian sign language, drawing illustrations.
The final aim is to train deaf project team members to lead literacy workshops in regional Deaf associations, and to create new content based on the same computer program. The software shall be licensed to make it accessible for further content and improvements.
Aim:
This project aims to create, in cooperation with young deaf people, a bilingual (written Croatian and Croatian Sign Language, CSL) computer programme to develop deaf children's functional and emotional literacy. The DVD will be distributed in Croatia and neighbouring countries. It aims to increase awareness among professionals working with deaf children, of their needs as well as provide practicioners with tools to support children in strengthening their emotional and literacy skills.
The project also aims to train young deaf project staff and allow them to replicate training workshop activities once the project has finished.
Beneficiaries:
- 5 to 10 deaf children actors and story tellers involved in the DVD creation
- Deaf project staff; 2 young deaf team leaders, 1 deaf illustrator
- up to 50 practioners working with deaf children. These will mainly be speech therapists and psychologists.
- 300 software users, including schools, deaf associations and families.
Read Angel's story. Angel is an inspiring deaf man, who has competed for Croatia in Deaflympics and has set up a theatre group. He also actively participated in this project.
Activities:
Development of educational programmes for functional and emotional literacy
A team consisting of a psychologist, a speech language therapist and teachers of the deaf will identify an appropriate methodology and strategy for the project.
Creating stories - fostering creativity in young deaf people
Two deaf team leaders will create stories together with a psychologist, speech therapist and teacher of the deaf (all three fluent in CSL). Meetings will be organised with other young deaf people to benefit from their creative input.
Gathering visual and audio materials
Two professionals will take photographs, record films and sounds as well as digitalise these materials. Actors and models will be deaf children and young people from local special schools. Deaf signers will interpret in CSL. A deaf art student will be involved in illustrating the signed stories.
Production of 300 DVDs
Workshop for potential users to familiarise them with the DVD
Up to 50 speech therapists working with deaf children in kindergartens and primary schools as well as psychologists working with children with special needs will participate in this training workshop. It will sensitise practicioners to the potential of the software for their work with deaf children. Background theoretical issues of language, emotional and literacy skills development will be tackled. The use of technology in education will also be addressed and participants will learn how to use the DVD through practice sessions.
The two young deaf team leaders will be trained to use the software and lead literacy workshops in the future.
Dissemination of software to deaf organisations in Croatia and neighbouring countries.
Achievements:
Following the project's Three-quarter Term Report project activities are well underway.
Development of educational programmes for functional and emotional literacy
- The programming is in progress and important milestones have been achieved. The education part of the software has now been completed. The functional literacy part is underway and the emotional literacy part will be completed during the next reporting period.
Creating content
Educational materials for developing emotional and functional literacy
- The team responsible for creating educational materials to be included in the software consists of the project manager, two volunteer special needs teachers, a speech therapist, two volunteer psychologists and a Croatian sign language teacher.
- The theoretical part of educational materials for the software has now been created. These include Sign Language materials and information on Cochlear Implants. Young deaf adults using Cochlear Implants were consulted to discuss their needs and the kind of information they felt was necessary to include.
- A dictionary with words included in stories and other words useful to understand / discuss these stories will be included in the software. These will be accompanied by explanatory visual materials and photos taken by a young deaf volunteer.
Stories and creative materials by deaf people
- A team of volunteer young deaf people liaised with other young deaf people to encourage them to contribute stories to be used in the software. This activity was far more challenging than anticipated. Education in Croatia does not generally encourage creativity. Young deaf people did not feel confident enough in their writing skills to submit stories. This also affected their capacity to sign stories out in public or in front of a camera.
- After identifying deaf people willing to contribute three stories, targeting slightly different age groups, have now been written.
- The deaf art student responsible for illustrations has now finished his work. Two additional stories will be included in the DVD. One is based on a Grimm fairytale, The Princess and the Frog, and the other has been created by a young deaf man and is entitled The Little Deaf Hero. Both stories have been piloted with young deaf children and will be signed in CSL.
Read The little deaf hero, an inspiring story written by Silvano, a 23 year old deaf man, for the software.
Gathering visual and audio materials
- Video recordings of individual testimonials by young deaf people have been recorded and audio materials are in the process of being recorded. Editing and quality checking of materials and testimonials to be included is planned for the next reporting period.
- Together with participating young deaf people, the team responsible for creating educational materials wishes to include information about successful deaf adults to act as role models and increase young deaf people's self esteem. This still needs to be included in the DVD.
