In December 2020 we started the project Online Learning for Children with Hearing Loss funded by America for Bulgaria Foundation. The project will continue for 12 months and aims to facilitate the work with children with hearing loss in order to address their individual needs in terms of online learning by:

• developing a system for evaluating language competence which is directly related to the key language skills outlined in the Bulgarian language curriculum, with focus on deaf pupils. The evaluation is complex and covers language competence sufficient to ensure efficient education in all school disciplines;
• establishing a model for text adaptation and video materials which reflect the modern trends in multimodal education, especially digital learning, which can be used as a basis for overcoming communication barriers;
• proposing strategies and materials for online learning for improved efficiency of education: language resources in support of online teaching and independent learning – a reference dictionary and an applied (children) dictionary for improved language learning; video materials combining text and visual learning approaches considering the degree of language competence and the purpose of teaching; interactive materials – digital exercises for acquiring new knowledge by combining video, multimedia, interactive components.

The project is funded by America for Bulgaria Foundation under the Next 10 Program in support of ideas that matter in the next ten years in Bulgaria.

The America for Bulgaria Foundation (ABF) is an independent, nonpartisan and nonpolitical American grant-making foundation working in partnership with Bulgarians to strengthen the country’s private sector and related democratic institutions. ABF build on the success of the Bulgarian-American Enterprise Fund, an investment fund created in 1991 by the U.S. Congress with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development. For more information, please visit: www.us4bg.org.

Support for the Deaf Studies Institute is provided by the America for Bulgaria Foundation. The statements and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the Deaf Studies Institute and do not necessarily reflect the views of the America for Bulgaria Foundation or its affiliates.

The project is carried out by the Deaf Studies Institute with leaders Dr Slavina Lozanova and Dr Ivelina Stoyanova.

Partners:

Children Speech and Language Therapy Centre	Andy & Aya Deaf Children Academy	Association of Parents of Children with Hearing Loss	Children Academy (University Centre)

Main methodological objectives:

• An overview of good practices in online education and learning of children with hearing loss and analysis of the challenges and the efficient methods and strategies in Bulgaria and abroad (EU, Great Britain, USA, etc.).
• Methods and techniques for evaluation of spoken Bulgarian competence.
• Methods and techniques for evaluation of Bulgarian sign language competence.
• Complex evaluation of general linguistic competence – linguistic profile of pupils with respect to both languages in bilingual setting with respect to developing a successful strategy for learning.
• A set of strategies for online learning and development and/or adaptation of materials for online learning and language development – strategies and their application in distant learning, principles for educational resource creation, methods dependent on language competence.

Main applied objectives:

• Set of online resources: methodological – evaluation of linguistic knowledge based on age; applied – reference dictionary and sign dictionary.
• Set of educational resources in Bulgarian spoken language and the results of their testing in partner organisations, feedback from specialists, new ideas, etc.
• Set of resources for complex evaluation of general language competence – linguistic profile of pupils with respect to both languages in bilingual setting with respect to developing a successful strategy for learning.
• A set of interactive resources for testing and improving language skills.

Here we will share the results of our work.

All educational resources will be also published on our online platform.

You can follow us for news or on Facebook.