The partners of the DEAFPEDIA (SignBridge) project – the organisations Turkoois, Innosign and SignCoders – met on 7 and 8 May 2024 in Groningen, the Netherlands. The event was hosted by the organisation Turkoois. Diana Majerčáková and Marek Kanaš participated on behalf of Innosign. A SignCoders representative from Hungary attended the meeting online via the Zoom platform.
The DEAFPEDIA project aims to raise awareness and educate the general public about the Deaf community, sign language and cultural diversity. By creating a comprehensive website that is inclusive, accessible and provides accurate and up-to-date information, the project can promote social inclusion and active citizenship among members of the Deaf community. The website will serve as a bridge between the hearing and Deaf community, providing an easy way for hearing people to learn about Deaf culture and sign language through interactive quizzes and e-learning, thus promoting understanding and acceptance. The goal is to create a sustainable website that could continue after the project ends, similar to Wikipedia, where others could add information about Deaf people.
During the first day of the meeting, the partners got acquainted, presented their organisations and discussed the overall overview of the DEAFPEDIA project. They discussed the project objectives, timeline and the division of tasks between the partners. The second day was dedicated to more detailed planning of the website development and e-learning materials. The partners discussed that the SignCoders would be in charge of the website design, logo creation and the actual creation of the website. All partners provided feedback and ideas for improvement. They also discussed the structure and content of the e-learning modules that will be part of the website. The partners agreed to create a unified visual style for the project. The meeting concluded with a final discussion of next steps and action items for each partner.
This meeting laid the groundwork for the partners to successfully collaborate on the DEAFPEDIA project, which has the potential to make a significant contribution to inclusion and understanding between the hearing and Deaf communities. Thanks to the hospitality of Turkoois, the partners had the opportunity to meet in person, exchange ideas and kick-start the project in the right direction. The virtual participation of a SignCoders representative via the Zoom platform enabled effective collaboration and communication.
All partners are excited about the DEAFPEDIA project and look forward to further innovations and advances. In the near future, they will be posting updates and highlights about the project on social media to inform the general public about this important initiative. Follow us on our social media and be a part of building bridges between the hearing and Deaf communities!