The European Digital Learning Network warmly welcomes the Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Turin Institute for the Deaf), a new member in our European lineup!
The origin of the Institute dates back to 1814, when the king of the noble House of Savoy established a no-profit foundation to offer basic care and services for deaf people, making no distinction of age, sex, religion or ethnicity.
The core of the Institute’s activity has always relied in Education, particularly developing ad-hoc learning programmes for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, while at the same time training teachers to deal with this kind of disabilities in their classrooms. Today, the range of services provided includes: educational assistance for other schools where deaf children are enrolled, vocational training for young deaf people, Italian and foreign sign language classes, social housing and a specialized library. In addition, strategic collaborations with the administrators of local cultural heritage enhance the accessibility of cultural venues in the North of Italy.
The digitisation of our society is meant to be a truly democratic process, which is called to help and foster the participation of particularly disadvantaged groups. We, as DLEARN, are at the forefront of this challenge, because we believe in the power of digital inclusion. The sector of ICT solutions for deaf people has certainly made considerable progress in the last years, but there is still a long way to go to keep pace with technological changes, so we want to be present and give our contribution to govern this transformation. The expertise and know-how brought by the Institute will soon mark a significant added value for all the network’s members, which will benefit from the experimentation of new educational models developed for people with disabilities.
When asked why they have chosen to join DLEARN, Enrico Dolza (General Manager of the Institute) replied:
” We decided to become member of the Dlearn network in order to have the opportunity to meet professionals in digital learning from all over Europe. Digital skills and tools are becoming more and more crucial in the education of children and adults with special needs, and we need to access the best European practices“.
Discover more about them at www.istitutosorditorino.org