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Workshop participants, DeafSign team, Programme consultant David Newby and ECML Secretariat

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DeafSign workshop May 2025 group photo.JPG

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Background papers for workshop participants

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Background papers for workshop participants

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The DeafSign project team invites experts to contribute to a short survey on the legislation, policies and practical provision of language support for deaf refugees and migrants in Council of Europe member states:

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The DeafSign project team invites experts to contribute to a short survey on the legislation, policies and practical provision of language support for deaf refugees and migrants in Council of Europe member states:

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Qualtrics Survey | Qualtrics Experience Management
Project website: www.ecml.at/DeafSign

See also: ECML/CELV > ECML-Programme > Programme 2024-2027 > DeafSign > developments

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Before:

Participants are expected …:

i. to take part in the survey on Deaf Signers with Deaf Signers from immigrant and refugee backgrounds;

ii. to have read some background papers provided by the DeafSign team;

iii. to bring examples of good practice from their country: resources to support quality provision of sign language learning opportunities for three target groups:

o Deaf signers with an immigrant and refugee background,

o Deaf children and their families, and

o heritage signers.

The resources should include:

o quality standards of teachers’ qualifications

o guidelines/recommendations for policy makers in the educational sector

o teaching and learning resources

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https://ecml-celv.questionpro.com/DeafSignWorkshopMay2025

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1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

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1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

# data[].attributes.body
1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

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AI and Sign Languages - SignOn Project (European Commission, Horizon 2020)

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AI and Sign Languages - SignOn Project (European Commission, Horizon 2020)

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SignON Project - Sign Language Translation Mobile Application

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SignON - Sign Language Translation Mobile Application - aims to reduce the communication gap between users of spoken languages and Deaf sign language users.

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AI and Sign Languages - Easier Project (EU, Horizon 2020)

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AI and Sign Languages - Easier Project (EU, Horizon 2020)

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EASIER – Intelligent Automatic Sign Language Translation

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EASIER | Intelligent Automatic Sign Language Translation

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Creating a framework for barrier-free communication among deaf and hearing individuals.

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Sign Language Machine Translation  book (edited volume)

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Sign Language Machine Translation  book (edited volume)

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If anyone would like access, contact me at leesonl@tcd.ie and I can share further information.

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Collects important current topics in the area of sign language translation to improve the ways and means deaf users can engage with machine translation

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Status report on the situation of Deaf refugees in Iceland. The report is in Icelandic, and includes data collection.

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Status report on the situation of Deaf refugees in Iceland. The report is in Icelandic, and includes data collection.

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Stöðuskýrsla um döff flóttafólk 2024-2025

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We need to think about how we can maintain/curate materials that are being/have been developed - e.g. back in 2009, there was a project to develop online L2 sign language materials, led by Bristol University (with Cyprus, Greece, Ireland, and Czech Republic) - the D-Sign Project, funded by the European Commission's Leonardo da Vinci Programme. Moodle was the interactive platform and over 5000 videos were filmed, mapped to a CEFR A1 level informed curriculum.

# data[].attributes.body
1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

# data[].attributes.body
1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

# data[].attributes.body
1. Legal / policy framework

2. Information to access educational institutions

3. Different groups of deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds with diverse intersectionality experiences/ Provision of Language & Culture Models

4. CEFR-based sign language learning, teaching and assessment resources

5. deaf-led organizations / organizations of deaf professionals / deaf researchers

6. Digital literacy awareness and competencies

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Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

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Be Aware of the Grammar of Sign Languages

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Be Aware of the Grammar of Sign Languages

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DeafSign ECML. Gefällt 60 Mal · 29 Personen sprechen darüber. The DeafSign project aims to promote sign language learning opportunities in Europe. It will provide guidelines and resources for policy…

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INFORMATIVE GUIDEBOOK FOR DEAF INMIGRANTS

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Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist

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Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist

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Buy Ticket for Online Buy Book

A standardized comprehensive checklist used to assist in tracking young children's sign language development from birth to age 5.

How did the VCSL come about?
In the early 1990s, there was a rise in the establishment of ASL/English bilingual/bicultural education, which led to a focus on developing language acquisition checklists, to evaluate typical linguistic development for signing children. Teachers created sign language acquisition checklists, based on their knowledge of sign language acquisition and language assessment checklists developed for hearing, monolingual children.

The teacher-made checklists were useful, but they were not standardized. No norms existed to compare deaf and hard of hearing children's success in ASL/English bilingual classrooms to other children in similar settings, making it challenging to obtain a comprehensive assessment profile of deaf and hard of hearing children's language development. Parents often believed that their children were obtaining age-appropriate sign language milestones, but when these children arrived at kindergarten they frequently exhibited language delays.

To address this situation, researchers obtained information from a variety of sources including schools for the deaf and organizations within America and Canada. These sources include the Signed Language Developmental Checklist by Mounty (1994), the Language Development Checklist (Enns, Zimmer, & Murray, 1994), checklists from both the California School for the Deaf-Fremont and the Kansas School for the Deaf, as well as Marie Philip's ASL Developmental Milestones Checklist form the Ontario Cultural Society of the Deaf (2003). The checklists were merged into one standardized checklist and with feedback from teachers, linguistics, psycholinguists, and researchers involved with Gallaudet University's Science of Learning Center on Visual Languages and Visual Learning (VL2). It was revised in order to provide an accurate, reliable, and valid measure, named the Visual Communication and Sign Language Checklist or VCSL.

Who should conduct the assessment?
The VCSL should be completed in collaboration with people who are familiar with the child's expressive and receptive language. Deaf and hard of hearing professionals could assist family members or professionals with less fluent signing skills, using a team approach.
This can include:

Teachers who are familiar with the child's language abilities

Early interventionists

ECE service providers who are fluent signers and work directly with the child and family
Families

Speech Language Pathologists

Costs (Download Order Form above for pricing information.)
What is the purpose of the VCSL?

The VCSL documents the developmental milestones of children from birth to age 5 who are visual learners and are acquiring sign language regardless of level of hearing. It is presented in a user-friendly format that is accessible to parents and teachers, as well as specialists and experts.

It monitors the child's developmental progress.

If the child has developmental delays as indicated by the VCSL, the gaps in learning that are identified can be used to help plan intervention programs.

Learning goals can be set.

Appropriate teaching and learning materials can be developed.

Learning goals can be set.

What materials are needed to administer the VCSL?

VCSL is an observational tool used to document language in natural environments.

No specialized materials or prompts are required to use the VCSL.

Our Team
Our team of experts, drawn from multiple disciplines, is committed to conducting research of the highest scientific caliber, and also to sharing important findings with educators and parents in ways that will directly benefit the children we serve.

Order Form (pdf) | Order Form (online) | Paper-Pencil Checklist (brochure) | Online Version (brochure) | Sample VCSL Checklist | Sample IRB Informed Consent Form | Frequently Asked Questions
Questions? Contact Us!
Science of Learning Center on Visual Language and Visual Learning

Early Education and Literacy Lab

Gallaudet University
SLCC 1200
800 Florida Avenue NE
Washington DC 20002

Web: VL2.gallaudet.edu
E-mail: VCSL@gallaudet.edu
Phone (Voice): 202-651-5866
Phone (VP): 202-558-9782

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Buy Ticket for Online Buy Book A standardized comprehensive checklist used to assist in tracking young children's sign language development from birth to age 5. How did the VCSL come about? In the early 1990s, there was a rise in the establishment of ASL/English bilingual/bicultural education, which led to a focus on developing language acquisition checklists, to evaluate typical linguistic development for signing children.

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Supporting Deaf & Hard of Hearing Children in California | LEAD-K Family Services

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Empowering families with Deaf and Hard of Hearing children through California’s Early Start, Family Deaf Coaches, Parent Mentors, & early intervention programs.

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Supporting Hearing Parents through the SILENT Project

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Supporting parents by addressing the challenges faced by families with deaf or hard-of-hearing children, particularly during the crucial early months after diagnosis.

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Best practices guide for language education of children with hearing impairments. Material produced into Logopedia project developed by Save the Children Organization Romania and Orange Foundation.

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Guide for parents and teachers.

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How to manage the cases of deaf children in schools?

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Textbook for learning Croatian Sign Language A1 level, and Serbian Sign Language A1 and A2 level

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Textbook for learning Croatian Sign Language A1 level, and Serbian Sign Language A1 and A2 level

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EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

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Pioneering Textbook: Bridging Gaps in Serbian and Croatian Sign Language Education - EPALE - European Commission

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Pioneering Textbook: Bridging Gaps in Serbian and Croatian Sign Language Education

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Croatia - Project 'My First Signing Dictionary': A crowdfunding campaign to create online materials for parents of deaf children"

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Croatia - Project 'My First Signing Dictionary': A crowdfunding campaign to create online materials for parents of deaf children"

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Moja Prva Znakovnica – the first Croatian Sign Language dictionary - Bona Fides Invest

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Help us create Moja Prva Znakovnica, the first Croatian sign language video dictionary, for hearing parents of deaf children as well as for anybody else who wants to learn Croatian sign language. The project aims to raise funds to create a dictionary with over 500 fundamental words, phrases, and sentences that enable deaf and hearing individuals to communicate with one another. The dictionary will be developed by Croatian Sign Language (HZJ) native speakers who were raised by deaf people. They now seek to transform their expertise into Moja Prva Znakovnica, a perpetually accessible and cost-free educational resource. This dictionary facilitates the early communication of deaf children, giving them a way to communicate their needs, wants, and emotions, which is essential for their emotional and mental growth. At the same time, creating a family setting where everyone feels equally loved and understood. All professionals who work with deaf children, including speech therapists, rehabilitators, psychologists, doctors, nurses, and technicians, as well as the deaf community and interpreters/translators, can greatly benefit from these materials. Join us in this great endeavor by lending your support. Every contribution matters!

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Croatia - Project with information about deafness for families raising deaf children

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Croatia - Project with information about deafness for families raising deaf children

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Identifying CODA students as bilingual learners boosts academic success

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Identifying CODA students as bilingual learners boosts academic success

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Three decades ago, I was flagged as needing special education services because I had a Deaf parent.

The teachers found gaps in my academic and linguistic development. I received those services for six years until a school speech pathologist noted that my language and speech delays were because of a language difference - American Sign Language, or ASL, was my first language - and not a language disorder.

Not recognizing earlier that special education services were not what I needed was a waste of resources, not to mention unhelpful to my progress as a student. What I needed was support as an English learner; instead, I had to sink or swim as I figured out school on my own.

The same is true of my studentRyan, a third-grader, and a CODA - a child of Deaf adults. Ryan and I are both bilingual; we learned American Sign Language as our first language and English as our second. There are significant language differences between ASL and English. ASL has its own grammar and syntax and is wholly separate from English. However, children who learn American Sign Language as their first language are not classified as English learners. This is why Ryan is identified as a special education student, not an English learner, just as I was 30 years ago.

Just like my teachers, Ryan's teachers worried that he might have a learning disability. Ryan was not assessed in sign language when evaluated for special education services, so he was placed in a special day class. He was identified as having a specific learning disability, a language disorder and articulation errors.

Just as I didn't need special education services, neither does Ryan. If ASL were considered a language separate from English, Ryan would be an English learner. As such, he would have access to language support in the general education setting. He would not be placed in a special education class or lose valuable time learning with his peers while he receives services from a speech language pathologist.

General education classrooms are designed to support English language development, which children like Ryan also need. Receiving language support means getting help with learning a second language by sounding out letters and words, understanding the phonics behind them, syntax and vocabulary, and building connections between English and American Sign Language so that students can grow their vocabulary in both languages.

Identifying Ryan as an English learner would also have preserved his multiculturalism by celebrating his cultural and linguistic differences. English learner programs are designed to incorporate students' native languages and cultural backgrounds into the learning process. At their best, these programs validate heritage and provide an inclusive environment, empowering students to share their unique perspectives and helping them feel like they belong in our classrooms. This is what Ryan needs.

I struggled with my identity for a long time, and sometimes, I still do. It took me several years to catch up to my peers academically and linguistically, and all the while, I didn't understand why learning was so hard for me. I certainly didn't think of myself as bilingual. My mother could not help me with phonics or reading in spoken language, so my homework took me hours to complete. Often, I used my lunchtime to sit with teachers to help me with projects, and I would go to friends' houses after school, so their parents would help me with my work. It shouldn't have been this difficult, but it was.

Children of Deaf adults deserve to be successful in their education and should have help learning English alongside their bilingual peers who use spoken languages. Although my experience is 30 years older than Ryan's, it is eerily similar.

Change is needed, and the time is now, because every student deserves to succeed.

***
Olivia Chavez-Hart, Ed.D., is an itinerant teacher of the Deaf and hard of hearing and an induction coach in the San Bernardino City Unified School District in San Bernardino. She is a 2024-25 Teach Plus California Senior Policy Fellow.
The opinions expressed in this commentary represent those of the author. EdSource welcomes commentaries representing diverse points of view. If you would like to submit a commentary, please review our guidelines and contact us.

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COMMENTARY: Identifying CODA students as bilingual learners boosts academic success

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The children of Deaf adults would often be better served by treating them as English language learners than as students with special needs. To kids who use American Sign Language, English is indeed a second, separate language.

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Sweden – Deaf Learners with Immigration and Refugee (in Swedish)

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Sweden – Deaf Learners with Immigration and Refugee (in Swedish)

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Sweden - Deaf learners with Immigration and Refugee Backgrounds

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Sweden – Deaf Children and their hearing families (in Swedish)

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Sweden – Deaf Children and their hearing families (in Swedish)

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Sweden about Deaf children and their hearing families

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Sign Language teaching materials for refugees.  Show one  example in power point for teach deaf refugees Iceland Sign Language "timeline" 

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Sign Language teaching materials for refugees.  Show one  example in power point for teach deaf refugees Iceland Sign Language "timeline" 

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Pragmatic-Discursive Analysis of Speech Acts in a Deaf Sahrawi Person: Intersectionality and Spanish Sign Language

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To have centers for communication, social adaptation, training, overcoming barriers. Including language training, work on social integration, including linguistic and cultural support for immigrants, sign language interpreters for different mother tongues.

It is good to have a practice for focusing on technology, creating, adapted learning spaces, training of teachers/specialists who work with deaf teachers. The resource model can be expanded with visual materials, sign language.

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Training and support for parents — not just information, but sign language training, strategies for language and communication development, and self-help groups. Multilingual approach — sign language + spoken language + visual materials to ensure fuller language and communication development. Children and parents have access to deaf individuals who serve as models for language and social identity.

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Training and support for parents — not just information, but sign language training, strategies for language and communication development, and self-help groups. Multilingual approach — sign language + spoken language + visual materials to ensure fuller language and communication development. Children and parents have access to deaf individuals who serve as models for language and social identity.

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Ministerial regulation on the education of surdopedagogues. Pages 90_96POLAND - PDF --- a deaf educator must know (only) 200 signs of sign language

REPORT ON IMPROVING COMPETENCES IN POLISH SIGN LANGUAGE (PJM) OF TEACHERS WORKING WITH HEARING-IMPAIRED STUDENTS (2024) - https://zpe.gov.pl/b/raport-dotyczacy-podnoszenia-kompetencji-w-polskim-jezyku-migowym-pjm-nauczycieli-pracujacych-z-uczniami-z-uszkodzonym-sluchem/P4HD3G5RC

Polish sign language (PJM) course for children A1-B2 in accordance with CEFR

https://zpe.gov.pl/kurs-polskiego-jezyka-migowego

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Ministerial regulation on the education of surdopedagogues. Pages 90_96POLAND

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Information for parents of deaf children. 

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Information for parents of deaf children. 

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More in Finnish and in Swedish. Information for parents. Information on various topics.

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tieto- ja vertaistukiportaali kuulovammaisen lapsen vanhemmille ja muille lapsen läheisille. Tietoa kuulon tutkimisesta, kuntoutuksesta, apuvälineistä ja kielen kehityksestä.

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Message from Cristina Torrez Méndez:

Professor Deborah Chen Pichler from Gallaudet University works in language acquisition in signers. She mentions all the science supporting the use of sign languages in babies who are deaf/HoH (hard of hearing). It is really important to know the science so that we defend Deaf Human Rights and the application of those rights.

Please see this video:

https://tv.us.es/media/SEMINARIO-+Lenguas+y+culturas+Sordas%3B+de+Andalucia+al+mundo+y+vuelta.+Sesi%C3%B3n2/1_n0x7zeq2/231488243

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Moja Prva Znakovnica - website for Deaf children and their hearing families 

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Moja Prva Znakovnica - website for Deaf children and their hearing families 

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The project Moja Prva Znakovnica aims to develop a small, age-appropriate digital dictionary for children, including signs, words, phrases, and sentences adapted to different stages of child development. The project has been in development for over two years and has been funded through crowdfunding, as no formal project funding was available. The website www.hzj.com.hr is scheduled to go live in spring 2026.

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Hjælp til familie og professionelle. Kom i gang med viden, redskaber og konkrete løsninger til at komme i gang med tegnsprog – nemt, effektivt og inkluderende.

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Ny forældreforening: “Hånd om sproget” styrker fællesskabet og tegnsprogskendskabet | DDL

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En ny forening er nu en realitet! Arbejdsgruppen bestående af Marie, Nola og Anette har i samarbejde med Danske Døves Landsforbund taget initiativ til at etablere forældreforeningen “Hånd om sproget”.

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Tilbuddet henvender sig til familier, hvor en eller begge forældre er tegnsprogsbrugere. Forældrevejlederne tilbyder vejledning og rådgivning i almene spørgsmål vedrørende børns udvikling og opdragelse. Vejledningen ydes efter Lov om social service §§ 12-13, samt Lov om social service § 174.

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CFD’s døvekonsulenter yder specialrådgivning til personer, der er døve eller har et betydeligt høretab. Døvekonsulenterne yder også rådgivning til kommuner, arbejdsgivere og andre, som er i kontakt med borgerne. Udgiften ydes i henhold til Lov om social service §§ 12-13 samt Lov om social service § 174.

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Døve og stærkt hørehæmmede flygtninge og indvandrere er en udsat gruppe, der ofte opstår meget usikkerhed omkring. Konsekvensen kan være isolation og dyb afhængighed af andre – til skade for både den enkelte borger og det danske samfund.