e-Sense–using digital technology to revolutionise the education of children with deafblindness

Alone We Can Do So Little. Together We Can Do So Much. Helen Keller (1880-1968)

Fundația Orange selected the project e-Sense – using digital technology to revolutionise the education of children with deafblindness to receive funding through the programme The world through colour and Sound, 2019 edition.

Children with deafblindness and multisensory impairments face major difficulties in communication, access to information, orientation and mobility. For this reason, teaching these children is a very specific type of education, which requires specialised techniques, knowledge and skills. Digital technology is more and more widespread in the education system and in our everyday life, but not when it comes to children with deafblindness. In order for them to be able to access high quality education and not be “left behind”, they need educational software adapted to the specific needs that come with having both visual and hearing impairments.

Partners

Sense International Romania, the only organisation in the country specialised in the field of deafblindness, joins forces with Code for Romania, a community of young and enthusiastic professionals developing IT solutions to solve the problems of the society, as well as with three schools which provide educational services for children and young people with deafblindness: Special Technological Highschool “Vasile Pavelcu” Iasi, School Centre for Inclusive Education ”Cristal” Oradea and School Centre for Inclusive Education „Constantin Pufan” Timişoara, in order to develop, test and approve e-Sense – an accessible, free, open source educational software package for over 335 children with deafblindness in Romania, for their parents and teachers.In 2008, as an initiative of Sense International Romania, the National Curriculum for the Education of children with Deafblindness was developed and approved by the Ministry of Education. Now, more than a decade later, this curriculum will step into the 21st century and will be translated into digital technology language, all foe the benefit of children with deafblindness and multisensory impairments.

Thus, in 2020-2021, specialists in the field of deafblindness and IT speicalists will work together and find the best digital solutions for important curriculum areas such as language and communication, mathematics and science, arts, human beings and society to take the shape of educational software. Children with deafblindness and multisensory impairments, their parents and teachers from the three partner schools, will test and asees e-Sense throughout the project life, using equipment purchased through this project, to make sure that the solution developed is useful, real and necessary.

The final version of e-Sense will be submitted for certification from the Ministry of National Education, so that it becomes a tool that can be used by all schools in Romania providing education for children with deafblindness and multisensory impairments, but also at home, by children and their families.

Implementation period: January 2020 – December 2021

Value of the project: 414.804 lei