Deaf students in JPA have had an exciting time since our last post!
Unfolding Theatre
In November the students were invited to participate in a drama workshop by Unfolding Theatre. Unfolding Theatre aims to show deaf people that they can be creative and participate fully in theatre. The students had great fun in the workshop and said “It was good and lots of fun. It was also nice to meet some of the other deaf students in school who aren’t part of the HIARP.”
Innovate UK and the University of Plymouth – VR glasses trial
In January, following the amazing feedback in November, the HIARP welcomed back 2 visitors from the University of Plymouth who have made changes to the VR glasses they have been designing and modifying. The project has been funded through Innovate UK. They came back to demo the latest version of the VR glasses which now include a mobile phone app to enable students to make choices on how they view the captions and the signing. They have again collected feedback from the deaf students involved and will now make final changes. Hopefully these VR glasses will be available in cinemas soon – several cinemas have shown an interest in providing them.
We are already planning opportunities for collaborative work in the future. There was talk about trialing the glasses in lessons and discussions about modifications to the captions, to include BSL word order and structure. Watch this space!
Newcastle Deaf Centre
The HIARP has been working with Newcastle Deaf Centre, and we are hoping to make a deaf awareness film together later this year, to go on the school website. Some of our students have already featured in videos created at the Deaf Centre which can be viewed shortly on their website.
Remember students have access to deaf awareness resources and information in the HIARP classroom on the VLE, and that further information about the provision can be found on the school website. We are always happy to have visitors or to answer any questions.