MADE – Museum and Art education for Deaf Empowerment
Museum and Art education for Deaf Empowerment is an ERASMUS+ Youth project. It started in February 2019 and lasts 24 months. There are eight project partners from six European countries (Austria, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia).
The goal of the MADE project partners is to develop a learning model to train young Deaf people to become museum guides for Deaf museum visitors. This leads to greater inclusion in society and at work for young Deaf people. At the same time, museums become more attractive to a Deaf audience. The project looks at diversifying the interpretative tools and practices, spaces and collections of museums. In this way, museums become a tool for the inclusion of Deaf people.
Why focus on museums and art?
People do not need specialist knowledge and learning to understand and enjoy art. What is important is the art itself. When young Deaf people train as museum guides, other people from the Deaf community become interested too. It changes the relationship between the Deaf community and the museum community. This creates new opportunities and new possibilities for art interpretation by a community that communicates through visual language.
These are the main project activities:
- Context Analysis
This is desk research into best practices and methodologies in art education in Europe. Partners from six countries write a national report based on research findings. The findings form the basis for the MADE training and training materials.
- Training for project staff
Trainers from six countries meet to learn about and share methods and techniques for training young Deaf people
- Curriculum for Deaf museum guides
The MADE partners develop and test a training programme that includes examples from existing museums.
- Open Educational Resources
The MADE training materials developed are digital and are openly available online.
- National workshops
National workshops take place in six countries. There is a presentation of the MADE project showing the advantages and the results of the activities. Participants include Deaf youth, Deaf communities, and other interested organisations.
