Developing E-learning systems for deaf education: Application of embodiement theories

When addressing linguistic problems of prelingual deaf people, research in the field of deaf education has proven how technology can enhance the quality of content transmission and of student’s learning experience. E-learning facilities allows reaching isolated groups of deaf learners and address their pedagogical needs through an immersive and challenging learning environment. We will describe the working framework of the FIRB-VISEL project, aimed at creating an interactive e-learning environment where deaf people can improve their linguistic skills in the local language. In order to address both signers and non signers, we focus on how to convey information and learning strategies without losing track of their learning advancements and their motivation. We found that embodiment theory and its application to education could be beneficial. In this paper, we outline the path we have followed in the development of learning objects based on embodiment theory and their application to the field of deaf education.