Engelli Öğrenciler İçin Yabancı Dil Öğrenme ve Öğretme Bariyerlerinin Aşılması

The core objective of the project is to comprehensively increase institutional capacity and awareness in foreign language education for the visually impaired and to fill methodological gaps. First...

The core objective of the project is to comprehensively increase institutional capacity and awareness in foreign language education for the visually impaired and to fill methodological gaps. First, it aimed to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of diverse stakeholders, such as Ibn Haldun University and the partner association in Greece (university and NGO), regarding rights-based teaching methods through mutual experience sharing. Second, it sought to discover and apply innovative, inclusive pedagogical methods (like language teaching with music, Braille technology integration, AI use, and peer support) by hosting interactive workshops for educators and young participants. This process aimed to produce tools for overcoming learning barriers while also raising awareness to reduce institutional and social prejudices. Ultimately, the project aimed to lead the way in solving systemic barriers to foreign language learning using a rights-based approach, creating a sustainable outcome that extends the project's impact beyond the direct participants.

The project conducted three distinct, thematically separated activities involving participants from Turkey and Greece (visually impaired students, educators, and NGO members) to achieve its goals step-by-step. Activity 1 focused on "Identifying Barriers," discussing structural issues, material shortages, and the role of Braille in both countries' systems. Activity 2 concentrated on "Technological and Pedagogical Solutions," analyzing Braille display use, AI's potential for accessibility, and the lack of disability pedagogy in educator training (TESOL) curricula. Activity 3, "Inclusive Methods and Institutional Support," practically examined pedagogical applications (peer support, music, tactile methods) and NGO support mechanisms (Braille keyboards/games). All activities featured interactive sessions, expert presentations, and solution-focused discussions, centering on the participants' personal experiences (including Intersectionality).

The project's most concrete output is the successful completion of the three activities and the comprehensive findings generated. As a result, participants' knowledge and experience with technological (Braille display, AI) and pedagogical (peer support, learning with music, tactile methods) solutions for foreign language learning significantly increased. Institutionally, Ibn Haldun University and the Greek partner association strengthened their capacity in disability pedagogy and implemented a sustainable NGO-university cooperation model. The key intellectual outcome was the evidence of the disability pedagogy gap in traditional educator training (TESOL, etc.) and the collective identification of new, actionable, and inclusive methods, centered on the experiences of visually impaired individuals (especially intersectionality analysis), based on the "Nothing About Us Without Us" principle. These results formed the basis for concrete solutions to systemic discrimination in national systems (exams, material access) and created a post-project action plan.