The original article appeared on the website of the  National Agency “Education for Europe” at BIBB.

Rudi Sailer, chairman of the Network of Municipal Associations for the Deaf, which coordinates the Erasmus+ project. (© Net-GEst eV)

Many deaf people only rarely use continuing and adult education services after finishing school. This is partly due to the lack of support for reading and writing skills in schools for the deaf, but also due to lack of access, particularly to provision regarding political education. The Erasmus+ project “Adult Education in Sign Language” aims to change this.

“Our aim was to develop an innovative education concept for deaf adults which can be used in various European countries,” says Rudi Sailer, chairman of the German Network of Municipal Associations for the Deaf (Netzwerk der Gehörlosen-Stadtverbände e.V.). The organisation coordinated the Erasmus+ project, in which the Association for the Deaf in Ingolstadt and Surrounding Regions (GVIUS) as well as partner institutions in Austria, Slovakia, and Belgium are also involved. 

We boost local services by empowering people

“Together we want to strengthen adult education in the respective countries’ cities and regions and improve living standards for deaf people,” Sailer adds. The task is to broaden one’s own horizons and improve the overall provision of adult education in sign language. A fundamental aspect concerns participation. Deaf people need to learn how to communicate with others and get involved. There are still many obstacles in this respect, particularly in dialogue with people who are not deaf. 

While a relatively broad range of services are on offer on a specialist level, on a more basic level they are often lacking. The project therefore focuses primarily on adult education centres and similar education providers. The aim is to inspire them with experience and insight gained from local best practice examples. “We boost local services by empowering people,” Rudi Sailer says. “In my view, adult education can play an important role in facilitating participation in political discourse.”

The European dimension

Intensive cooperation in networks is needed to achieve this. Alexander Exner, chairman of GVIUS in Ingolstadt, believes that dialogue on a European level yields positive results: “We can learn a lot about ourselves by engaging with people from other countries and cultures. I learned more about this while also recognising that we can be pioneers when it comes to certain topics, such as work with migrants, which plays an important role for us in Ingolstadt.” 

Sailer explains that the project meetings to date, which – apart from the kick-off meeting in early 2020 – all took place online due to the coronavirus pandemic, have shown how different the situation is in the participating countries. For example, adult education in Belgium focuses very much on media-based provision such as learning videos. This has been particularly beneficial during the pandemic and also broadened his own understanding of adult education.

Project meeting before the pandemic – the kick-off event at the start of 2020 (© Net-GEst eV)

While in Austria there is a great disparity in the structure of services between urban and rural regions, adult education for deaf people in Slovakia is still very much in its infancy. The resulting variety of outlooks greatly enriched the discussion. 

Initial signs of success are already visible

Summing up progress so far, Alexander Exner says, “I think that we have already increased awareness of the topic, even if there is still a lot to do.” In the future, he would like those affected to report more on their experiences. Sharing best practices can help to boost self-confidence and the chance of participating in society. 

One positive example is the Association for the Deaf in Kärnten, Austria, which is involved as a project partner. Previously, almost no adult education services for deaf people were available in the region. The Erasmus project has changed all this, and there is great motivation to learn. This is particularly noteworthy as the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic shortly after the project began did not exactly make working together easier. Both Exner and Sailer are impressed by the progress that has nevertheless been made. Although personal contact and face-to-face cultural participation were not possible, “new doors were opened”. 

Project work during the pandemic

Rudi Sailer knows that deaf people face particular challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. In his view, the main problems are the availability of up-to-date information and wearing masks. Also, by no means all information concerning vaccinations is easily accessible to deaf people. Masks make it harder for deaf people to communicate as they limit the perception of facial expressions and mouth gestures, which are important sign language components. 

Seniors are particularly affected, as they are not as familiar with the possibilities offered by modern communication forms. “How are they supposed to deal with a situation like this?” Sailer asks. To offer assistance, the network joined forces with the social organisation Aktion Mensch and launched an initiative to support seniors during the pandemic and help them with communication. 

Video call as part of the project work of the Network of Municipal Associations for the Deaf (© Net-GEst eV)

As for the Erasmus+ project, Sailer and Exner want to attract and train additional adult educators in the coming months. This will help to increase the quantity and quality of services and ensure that people are not left behind under the current circumstances. Rudi Sailer concludes with a clear message: “We want to strengthen the role of sign language in all educational contexts and offer quality services to deaf people in every phase of life.”