Deaf People Education: crossing linguistic borders through e-learning

The introduction of Web Technologies and the development and spread of portable devices has improved the quality of life of deaf people making distant communication easier. In particular, the development of online systems including video-messaging and the possibility to upload user generated contents, has given deaf people the possibility to rely on other, more direct, means of communication. Similarly, the development of e-learning platforms and their adoption in most Universities worldwide, is shaping the way education is conceived, leading to new and innovative systems merging in-class education with e-learning systems. Our contribution gives a first explanation of how Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can be a strategic resource to give deaf people equal educational opportunities focusing on the development of appropriate language skills, and the strategies through which these opportunities can become effective. Our experience is based on the results and outcomes of DEAL Project (Deaf people in Europe Acquiring Languages through E-Learning), carried out from Istituto Statale per Sordi Roma (ISSR - State Institute for the Deaf in Rome) with co-financing from the European Commission. The objective being that of creating an e-learning model for teaching foreign languages to deaf individuals in professional education, and giving new bases to researches in the field.