ISENSE

This project aims to develop various tools and procedures to provide deaf students with even better support during their studies, tailored to their specific needs. The basic idea of the project is based, among other things, on various reports that show the frequent lack of special aids for deaf students who decide to study and pursue an academic career. For example, the National Deaf Children's Research Project in the UK shows that 59% of deaf students who need support at university do not receive it in time.

This problem particularly affects the orientation phase: there is often a lack of qualified staff who can support deaf students in selecting suitable courses, in the enrollment process or in providing aids. These problems often lead to deaf people refraining from taking up studies. Furthermore, the number of deaf students who decide to participate in the Erasmus program is unfortunately still low, as it is sometimes difficult for them to solve similar problems in other languages and at other universities. This could be due to the lack of a common methodology for supporting deaf students in European universities.

The ISENSE project was launched in response to the situation described above. Its overarching goal is to improve and simplify access to higher education for deaf students. The project partners want to jointly develop strategies, tools and services to increase the satisfaction of deaf students.

The aim of the ISENSE project is to define and implement special support services. Such services are to be understood both as digital tools and as innovative practices. They should be based on new technologies, such as augmented reality (AR) or interactive holograms. The targeted digital solutions are designed to support deaf students during their academic life, but especially during the enrollment phase. In addition, a set of guidelines will be developed to support this target group, from enrollment to entry into professional life.

This project aims to raise awareness among European universities of the issue of deafness. It should help to overcome the unique challenges that deaf students still face during their academic lives.

• Improve access to higher education for deaf students.
• Creation of an EU framework for inclusive ecosystems that will increase the number of deaf students in E+ mobilities.
• Introduction of innovative digital technologies that can facilitate study orientation at the university.
• Capacity building for university administrative staff and teaching staff in communicating with deaf students.

• SLAATE – an ICT platform that, among other things, makes it possible to create web-based videos to interact with deaf students during the enrollment phase using a holographic approach.
• SHARE SLANG – a social media platform including a database that contains sign language data related to motion analysis files captured using an optoelectronic system.
• SONAR - training concept for professors, technicians, family members and friends for learning sign language. The training is conducted by trained staff and includes learning scenarios that combine virtual and augmented reality.
• GUI4DE - summary of all findings obtained during the project development, leading to the creation of a memorandum of understanding that includes all guidelines and best practices. The integration of these guidelines and recommendations at universities should ensure equal access and educational opportunities for deaf students. The focus is on the following topics:

1. Good practices for the orientation and enrollment phase.
2. Good practices for support during studies (lectures, exams, Erasmus mobility).
3. Good practices for job placement.