Within the framework of the ERASMUS+ Higher Education Program 2021 Key Action 2 - Cooperation Partnerships in Higher Education, our project "EDUSIGN & SIGNEDU: JOINT VENTURE OF CURRICULUM STUDIES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN SIGN LANGUAGE" was accepted, and the Second Transnational Project Meeting (TPM2) of our project was held on August 22-23, 2023 at Vadi Campus under the coordination of Dr. Ülkü Kölemen from Istinye University.
Our Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Hatice Gülen accompanied the researchers from our partners Humak University of Applied Sciences from Finland, Stockholm University from Sweden, Confederation of the Deaf and Association of Sign Language Interpreters from Türkiye, and she received information about our project. The researchers contributed to the development process by discussing the progress in the project results for Sign Language education and Sign Language in education. Since March 2022, EDUSIGN & SIGNEDU project focused on deaf studies, sign language interpreting education, and artificial intelligence-based sign language interpreting studies with an interdisciplinary approach.
On the first day of the meeting, sign language education curriculum studies, sign language and deaf research center studies and the project's multiplier event planning were discussed. Dr. Ülkü Kölemen, Dr. Rahim Sarı and Res. Asst. Gamze Gürleyen from Istinye University; Prof. Dr. Johanna Mesch, Magnus Ryttervik and Malin Tesfazion from Stockholm University; Paivi Raino, Juha Mannunen and Outi Kuvaja from HUMAK University of Applied Sciences; Banu Türkuğur Şahin, Selver Aytekin and Öznur Akto from the Association of Sign Language Interpreters; and Hasan Dikyuva, Orkun Utsukarcı and Doğan Özdemir from the Turkish Confederation of the Deaf joined the meeting and International Sign Language Interpreters Tessa Heldens and Jetske Tinnevelt from the Netherlands interpreted from International Sign Language into English. The meeting included discussions and group presentations on the deaf community, education and communication problems of the deaf community, and their solutions.
In addition to the preparatory class and undergraduate curricula in sign language education and sign language with artificial intelligence, Dr. Luigi Lerose from the University of Central Lancashire made an online presentation on "Sign Language Education" and "Online Sign Language Education".
Apart from the meeting plans for future project meetings, ideas and plans for the dissemination of the project and the result "Deaf and Sign Language Studies Research Center" were shared and activity frameworks were clarified.
We would like to thank all the researchers who participated in our Second Transnational Project Meeting.
