One of the many challenges people with various degrees of disabilities face (visually or hearing impaired) is their inability and difficulty to access mainstream products and services thus being excluded from enjoying audio-visual services on an equal basis as people without disabilities. Marginalising people with disabilities on this level is a critical and problematic issue, especially in today’s “Information Society”, where access to information should be freely available to all, in order for each individual to be able to reach his/her maximum potential, personally, professionally and socially. While these challenges have been identified, they have not been addressed yet efficiently since existing solutions still inherit characteristics of the analogue TV or just focus on traditional TV viewing. In this context, the EasyTV system aims not only to ease the access to multimedia services, by offering novel media delivery mechanisms but also to move one step further, by enhancing interaction based on a multi-language approach, and adapt it to the user’s preferences providing personalised content in a integrated single multiterminal platform. Specifically EasyTV will be based on four pillars: a) Improved access services for enhanced multimedia visual and sound experience for people with disabilities. b) Improved personalisation of the content experiencing and interaction, towards a hyper-personalised experience to all. c) Novel technologies to break the sign language barrier (based on crowdsourcing techniques). d) Improvement and development of voice and gesture/gaze recognition to control the TV set and TV applications (e.g., eye movement or head movement) in the form of a universal remote control. Different testing with users will establish a close cooperation by exchanging experiences among the different partners and user groups, in order to enhance the whole evaluation and validation process of the EasyTV technology

Background and participantsThe 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 countries2. To translate and adapt modules as needed into the signed and written languages of each partner country3. 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 ends4. To pilot and evaluate delivery of modules in each partner country5. 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 languages6. 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 experiences7. 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 modules8. To investigate the feasibility of accrediting modules to recognise DPs learningResults, impact and long term benefitsThe 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.

<< Objectives >>Common strategies to guarantee the inclusion of deaf students in University are still absent. ISENSE aims at proposing a long-term sustainable approach to reduce the barriers linked to education to enhance both the motivation of deaf students in attending university and the skills of university staff in communicating with them. Within this aim, we exploit innovative technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality and holography, to create a high-performing digital education eco-system.<< Implementation >>Inclusive and accessible activities will be implemented. From a technological point of view, holographic visual contents equipped with metadata will be produced to make university orientation more inclusive and accessible. Training paths will be realized for teaching the basics of sign language and improving the awareness on deafness using ICT tools based on virtual and augmented reality. Round tables among experts will be held to create a set of good practices to share within EU Universities.<< Results >>ISENSE leads to these tangible results: (i) sustainable digital tools for implementing inclusive learning approaches for deaf students; (ii) reduction of issues that make difficult to undertake training mobility; (iii) exploiting the opportunities of digital technologies for trackling learning disadvantage ; (iv) creation of good practices shared within the EU universities to become inclusive centres; and (v) development of key competence for university staff skills through digital training.

"Digital change and transformation, which manifested itself in every field before the Covid-19 pandemic, gained momentum in the face of the necessities that emerged during the pandemic process and led educational organisations to adapt in their fields. The basic method of the mentioned change is ""distance education"". Although ""production"" for students who do not have any disabilities has increased significantly, the production of digital materials for students who need special education has remained limited. These students experienced serious material deprivation in the distance education process during the pandemic period. Considering the negative effects of language and mathematics deprivation on development, it is a necessity to develop the materials that hearing impaired children need in the distance education process.In our project, we aim to contribute to the distance mathematics education of the hearing-impaired students in the 6-15 age group, which emerged specifically in Covid-19 and will be improved on. Solutions should be developed for needs such as the inability to provide distance education support with appropriate methods and materials that arise in the education of hearing-impaired students during the pandemic period. Studies show that hearing-impaired students experience inadequate early learning experience and language delay due to the difficulties they experience in mathematics. Problems such as the nature of mathematics language and the inability of mathematics teachers to complete the curriculum due to their language-focused work also arise.MATH project, whose main aim is to improve the mathematics skills of the hearing-impaired students between the ages of 6-15 through distance education, also aims to empower the teachers’ professional working in this field and to provide them with a comprehensive educational material. Thanks to the wide partnership networks to be established with the project, it is aimed to create a common product across Europe on the subject and to raise awareness among all education stakeholders.Ensuring the participation of countries in different regions of Europe will contribute to both enriching the project content and spreading the project results in a wider area. The current partnership structure reflects the strongest aspect of this project. Participants from different institutions and organizations consist of people who are experienced in the fields of teaching mathematics to the hearing impaired and web design experts, pedagogues and experienced people in these fields.Within the scope of the project, 5 online meetings and 7 transnational meetings and 1 final conference will be held. 2 people from partner institutions will attend the transnational meetings. Participation of personnel with expertise in accordance with the meeting content of these institutions will be ensured in each meeting.To achieve Math project goals, the activities to be carried out can be summarized as ; examining the curricula of mathematics education for hearing-impaired students from different countries and creating a common curriculum, developing an e-platform that can be used by hearing-impaired students, creating an e-teacher guide book for teachers working in this field, preparing a project article in which all the data obtained during the project are analysed.Throughout the project, all partners will create a holistic product by adding their organizational experiences. In order to achieve this, working instructions will be prepared and work flows will be followed in line with these instructions. In addition, the products obtained will be tested on target groups, and areas open for improvement will be determined and enriched.The biggest desired effect in the MATH Project consortium is to improve the mathematics skills of the hearing impaired students by providing distance mathematics education in the best conditions and quality. The MATH project is expected to benefit not only the target group of students, but also the teachers who teach them, their families and other relevant stakeholders in the long run. The e-platform, which is the most important output of the project, will allow these groups to develop their mathematical skills anytime and anywhere. Thus, it is desired that the project will be an indispensable source of education in the region where the consortium members are located and later in other countries."

<< Objectives >>1.To develop the knowledge of deaf students in the 5th and 6th grade in elementary school in Spain and Belgium on scientific topics.2.To facilitate the intercultural and multilingual exchange between the deaf school students and to allow them to undertake scientific experiments in relation to the produced videos.3.To professionalize the teams’ members of LSFB asbl and Fundacion CNSE and to reinforce their partnership in the future.<< Implementation >>1.Production and dissemination of 20 video’s (10 in French-Belgian Sign Language and 10 in Spanish Sign Language) on 10 scientific topics linked to the school programme of the deaf school students in 5th and 6th grade in elementary school. 2.Organisation of an exchange between deaf school students in 5th and 6th grade in the elementary schools of Gaudem (Madrid, Spain) and of Sainte-Marie (Namur, Belgium) related to sciences and under the supervision of the Collectif Recherche Et Expression.<< Results >>-The deaf school students show a better understanding and develop knowledge on the scientific topics approached in the videos as well as during the transnational exchange. -The deaf school students developed an openness towards others, beyond the linguistic and cultural barriers, and an European identity. -The LSFB and Fundacion CNSE’s teams’ members developed their knowledge and know-how in producing pedagogical audiovisual tools.