Qualification of Educational Staff Working with Hearing Impaired Children

The project was supported by the European Union (EU) as one of the COMENIUS actions within the framework of the SOKRATES programme. Involved in this project were: 

-  Ernst Lehnhardt-Foundation in Hannover, Germany
-  University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain
-  Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic
-  Academy of Special Education in Warsaw, Poland
-  Heidelberg University of Education, Germany as
   coordinating institution

The Project's Aim

The project’s aim was to develop and test an in-service training course for teachers, therapists and other pedagogical professionals working with hearing impaired children and youth. The course was designed to  equip teachers and specialists with professional skills, knowledge and tools which will enable them to guide parents in helping children with hearing impairment to maximize their listening potential and spoken language development.
A distinguishing feature of this course is that the study material  is presented on the internet and is accessible to everyone interested in the subject.

The Contents

Commencing in April 2003, the course material has been published on the Internet at intervals of 2 months. It is composed of various modules which include topics such as

-  anatomy, physiology and pathology of the hearing
   process
-  audiometry and hearing devices
-  methods of rehabilitation including outcome evaluation
-  guidance and support of parents
-  ethical and social aspects of hearing rehabilitation.