In December 2020 we have launched our new project Efficient Communication for Deaf People in a Crisis, funded by Sofia Municipality under the Crisis as an Opportunity programme, managed by Sofia Development Association. The project will continue for 6 months and aims at addressing the urgent need for high quality efficient communication with deaf people during times of crisis, so that they can overcome communication barriers, to improve their media awareness and to boost their civic responsiveness and involvement. The project includes two main directions:

• improving the collective skills within the Deaf community to process, evaluate and disseminate information;
• developing within the community efficient sign language system to communicate in a clear way extraordinary events and circumstances in times of crisis.

The project is funded by Sofia Municipality under the Crisis as an Opportunity programme (Developing Communities section), managed by Sofia Development Association.

The project is carried out by the team of the Deaf Studies Institute led by Dr Slavina Lozanova and Dr Ivelina Stoyanova.

Collaborators:

• Yanka Trachuk
• Krasimirka Zhecheva

Main objectives:

• Online session on media awareness, handling various information, evaluation of sources, analysis and conclusions. The session will be accompanied with sign language interpreting and a discussion in sign language;
• Video manual in sign language focused on media awareness and main principles for information handling in times of crisis;
• Online meetings in sign language discussing particular topics in the sign language domain. These will be streamed online and will encourage discussion in the community;
• Online sign language dictionary focused on terminology used in times of crisis. The resource will be based on the public discussions in the community and will be expanded in the future;
• Information materials related to promoting the sign language resources and the media awareness materials with a view to support at times of crisis.

Here we will share the results of the project.

All resources will also be published on our online platform.

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