We are thrilled to be working with partners on an international sign language project focusing on tourism.
Staff from our Trust have teamed up with colleagues from Turkey, Germany and Portugal to deliver the Vocational Sign Language on Tourism project.
Alexis Johnson, our executive principal, said: “We are extremely pleased to be working on this Turkish led international project.
“We’ve worked with partners from across Europe and beyond for more than a decade now developing online tools and resources to help Deaf people from across the globe.
“This latest project aims to develop training for Deaf and hearing people who want to work in tourism. Together we are creating a new course that will equip people with the skills to become tourist guides in their home country.
“The benefit of this project is not only for those who take part and learn the skills to enable them to gain employment in tourism but will also benefit Deaf travellers who are visiting a country who will then be able to enjoy a signed tour giving them a cultural insight into the country.”
The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) stated in its report titled Hearing Loss: The Statistics, published in 2015, that although it is difficult to know the exact number of hearing-impaired people, there were an estimated 9% of the population of the European Union (some 51 million people) with hearing loss at the time the report was written.
Added Alexis: “Together we will create a robust curriculum for training for tourism and tour guides and A1 and A2 levels. Included in this will be a tourism sign language dictionary and a suite of resources.
“We are very proud to be the UK representative on this project, working together with partners to further improve the lives of Deaf people.”