Capacity building of the parents of deaf children through sign language training project.

The project aims to provide training to parents in communication with their deaf children, raise awareness of inclusive education and ensure empowerment and participation of beneficiaries. The project will provide native sign language training for 100 parents of 50 deaf, to ensure communication with their children, raise awareness on inclusive education, ensure empowerment and participation, and create the basis for advocacy for children’s right to access inclusive education. The project will follow the sign language option of “Total Communication” system. The activity includes materials develop, capacity building of parents and information dissemination. The trained up parents will communicate with their children, advocate at community level and educational institution. We envisage that the project will ensure an enable and just environment where the deaf children will be able to express their feelings with their parents, peer group, teachers, besides this their education along with other normal children will be ensured.

PROJECT SUMMARY

The project aims to provide training to parents in communication with their deaf children, raise awareness of inclusive education and ensure empowerment and participation of beneficiaries. The project will provide native sign language training for 100 parents of 50 deaf, to ensure communication with their children, raise awareness on inclusive education, ensure empowerment and participation, and create the basis for advocacy for children’s right to access inclusive education. The project will follow the sign language option of “Total Communication” system. The activity includes materials develop, capacity building of parents and information dissemination. The trained up parents will communicate with their children, advocate at community level and educational institution. We envisage that the project will ensure an enable and just environment where the deaf children will be able to express their feelings with their parents, peer group, teachers, besides this their education along with other normal children will be ensured.

Project ACTIVITIES

• Develop materials for parents who will participate in the training. Parents and children will be consulted to ensure the appropriateness of materials. The project will use a specially developed curriculum covering basic daily communication, social interaction and education. The course will use pictorial materials, drama, and teaching methodologies suitable for learners.
• 3 Sign Language trainers (including two deaf adults) will be recruited to carry out parents training. Together with key person of disabled program the trainer will develop materials.
• 3 Sign language trainers will receive training over a 15 days period. This training aims to provide participants with an understanding of the project and its aims as well as provide them with specific tools to work with parents. Technical information on deafness and parenting a deaf child will also be provided as part of this training.
• 100 parents will receive Sign Language and communication training in groups of 20. The will be every Tuesday and Saturday for 8 hours each day. On other 5 days of the week they will practice the learned sign with their children at home. During the practice period our supervisors and trainers will visit them.
• 10 advocacy workshops with parents will be carried out in different schools around working area of AID, Jhenaidah, depending on parents’ place of residence. Workshops will take place two days per month over five months. Workshops for creating base for advocacy for inclusive education, social accessibility. All activities and consultations will be carried out in Sign Language with spoken Bangla when appropriate.
• Monitoring and evaluation will take place at regular intervals with input from project staff, AID, parents and children.
• Project findings and materials will be disseminated with INGOs including CDD, SLF, Handicap international and the Ministry of Education, Social welfare dept.
• Half-yearly news letter will be published on success, learning and teaching (in native and English).

Two learning sharing workshop at Jhenaidah and Dhaka

NEED OF THE PROJECT

Especially the parents of deaf needs sign language knowledge to communicate with their children. Children have taken the teaching of sign language but they can not share with their parents because their parents do not know any sign to communicate. Parents of deaf sometimes share with the teacher of sign language school and management to arrange special sign language training for them. We have designed the project as per the request of deaf children parents.

We have received too many numbers of requests from the parents of deaf to launch a project of sign language training. As evidence of the request we would be able to make available the documents. Besides this the senior staff of disability program has conducted research on deaf children and communication barrier. The research reveals that sign language practices of parents can remove the communication barrier.

In the project area AID has launched a sign language school for the deaf children with support from SLF, Netherlands. Though the deaf are familiar with sign language but they can not share with parents, peer groups and others. Sign language training and practice can remove the barrier.

This one is not the further development of existing one. The project is a new one and have strong link with existing one. The proposed project will expedite the process of achieving the goal of sign language school project.

As per the GOB enacted disable welfare act-2001 (Schedule; Section 2(b) part-D. 1and 5), the project has a strong link with the act-2001.

As per the findings of Handicap International about 5.6% that means 8.4 million people of Bangladesh are somehow disabled among them 18.6 % are hearing impaired. Sign language is not fully developed in Bangladesh and the participation of deaf children in family life is very limited, because parents do not know any signs. Almost all deaf children are born to hearing parents; for the most part, hearing parents (like hearing adults in general) have little awareness of the Deaf community, its language and its culture. As a result, young deaf children seldom come into contact with deaf adults (or even, until they start school with older deaf children).