English / ASL Language Lab Project

The English/ASL laboratory focuses on teaching English to deaf and hearing children at primary school.  The program was developed in collaboration with the ISISS of Rome, led by Dr. Katherine Groves, american deaf, and implemented with the help of deaf and hearing English speaking assistants.

The goal of the laboratory is to provide a learning environment where deaf students could learn English naturally from mother-tongue English teachers through the use of Italian and American sign language and visual materials.

The strategies used in the laboratory not only benefitted deaf students but also hearing students. In fact, all children involved in the project since 2008 have strengthened their motivation for learning a foreign language and have gained more confidence overall in their ability to learn.