International visitors head to Doncaster for final meeting of Sign Language Project

The group, who have worked on the Vocational Sign Language on Tourism project, co-funded by Erasmus and the European Union, will meet in Doncaster on April 20 and 21 to discuss the transition of the project.

Alexis Johnson, chief executive of Doncaster Deaf Trust said: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming our friends and colleagues on this project from Turkey, Germany and Portugal.

“We’ve worked with partners from across Europe and beyond for more than a decade developing online tools and resources to help Deaf people from across the globe.

“This Turkish led project has seen the creation of training for Deaf and hearing people who want to work in tourism. Together we have created 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 nine per cent of the population of the European Union (some 51 million people) with hearing loss at the time the report was written.

Added Alexis: “We have worked together to create a robust curriculum for training for tourism and tour guides and A1, A2 and B1 levels. Included in this is 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.”

For further information about Doncaster Deaf Trust and the international projects it is involved with visit www.deaf-trust.co.uk