<< Background >>Knowledge of foreign languages is essential not only as an intrinsic part of modern education but is also considered as a means to improve the students’ future social and professional success. Gaining solid command of a foreign language, however, is not a straightforward process for Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) learners. There are different reasons for that. - The predominant current methodology for teaching English as a Foreign Language involves active teaching strategies centred on oral conversations, interactive group exchanges and individual role play. However, DHH individuals have specific educational needs in the context of learning foreign languages. If these teaching methods are not adapted to incorporate the visual, non-auditory learning strategie the learning may be an experience of exclusion (Nunn, Yang, Tóthová, Sedláčková 2021).- DHH learners have limited access to learning audio-oral languages, learning often exclusively or primarily the written form of the chosen foreign language. Their participation in standard language courses offered at universities and outside them is therefore problematic, as the materials and content of mainstream courses are generally not easy to be accessed by DHH learners and not culturally relevant. - The field of teaching foreign languages to DHH students has only recently been receiving appropriate attention (Domagała-Zyśk 2015) and it is affected by the scarcity of culturally relevant teaching and learning materials.- Research on the experiences of Czech DHH students of English has also shown their inclination to assign responsibility for their own failure or success in learning mainly to their teachers (Sedláčková and Kontra 2020). DHH learners have been identified as dependent learners, relying on directed learning, which alongside social and literacy issues, negatively influences the educational success of DHH learners (Scherer and Walter 1988).- Another significant reason learners generally struggle with foreign language learning is the fact they lack suitable study skills and strategies. The currently published instructional texts may not be particularly suitable for DHH learners because of their structure, or they may not be culturally relevant to them as this is a particularly under researched area and both instructors as well as DHH learners lack sources to learn more about it.<< Objectives >>The objectives lying at the core of the project are the following: - To provide better awareness about learning styles and strategies among DHH foreign language higher education learners;- To consider how the learning styles and strategies surveys might be adapted to suit the needs of DHH learners learning foreign languages; - To provide DHH foreign language learners and their teachers with an adapted learning styles and strategies surveys so that they could be able to test themselves and learn the results raising their own autonomy as foreign language learners and feeling more in control of the learning process;- To provide DHH learners and teachers with a resource pack that would inform them about the assets of the surveys and of finding one’s preferred learning preferences; - To collect tips and hints suggested by successful foreign language learners to motivate other DHH foreign language learners to find or reassess their own learning preferences supporting self-reflection;- To make foreign language learning experience more efficient for DHH learners;- To engage DHH communities in a dialogue about the topical issue of learning foreign languages;- To provide DHH foreign language higher education learners with a unique multilingual and multicultural academic opportunity to meet and share their experience and best practices; - To promote dialogue and best practice sharing;- To collect information about the styles and strategies that prevail among DHH learners as such data is largely missing;- To open a discussion with experts in the field of English as a Foreign Language for DHH learners about the learning styles and strategies of these learners.<< Implementation >>The project aims to improve the quality of foreign language education for DHH learners by drawing attention to the importance of using effective foreign language learning strategies and encouraging autonomy in DHH learners by designing a set of resources. The project aims to:- adapt the learning styles and strategies surveys in order to allow DHH learners assess themselves and choose those that suit their needs;- undertake research into the learning styles and strategies of DHH foreign language learners using the adapted surveys in order to gain more data and knowledge about their learning preferences;- create a bank of tips and strategies suggested by successful DHH learners who will act as role models motivating DHH learners on their foreign language learning pathway; - design a set of resources for teachers and self-access learners, describing how to take the results of one's learning preferences into account in order to give the best results;- hold a series of summer schools to extend the learning outside the classroom and enable the DHH foreign language learners to discuss possibilities for adopting different ways of acquiring and practising a foreign language;- organize an international conference and national seminars for the interested public to share the results and materials to a wide public.<< Results >>The area of learning styles and strategies of DHH learners is heavily under researched, yet adopting suitable learning styles and strategies is crucial in order to ensure a successful foreign language learning experience. Mastering these skills may not only improve learners’ performance in school, but also their ability to learn foreign languages in general which they can benefit from their whole life. The project therefore wishes to help fill this gap. The project aims to create the following outcomes:- adapt the language styles and strategies surveys for DHH learners (O1);- undertake research into the area of language styles and strategies of DHH learners (O2);- create a learning styles and strategies resource pack for teachers and self-access DHH learners (O3);- collect practical tips and strategies used by successful DHH English as a Foreign Language learners (O4).Along the above mentioned intellectual outputs, the following activities will enrich the project:- a series of summer schools to encourage sharing of best practices (C1, C2, C3);- an international conference for the interested public to engage in a wider discussion (E1);- national seminars for teachers of English as a Foreign Language to DHH learners in order to share the project results and to engage in a wider discussion at national level as well (E2, E3, E4);- a project’s website describing the project and its aims will be set up and used as a platform to share the project outcomes and a series of dissemination activities will help spread the results of the project.