In the autumn, at the initiative of the SIAE, we held a thematic session focused on different approaches to information and guidance for deaf and hard-of-hearing adults, delivered as a public service.
An opportunity to present the work of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for Podravje Region and Maribor
We invited Milan Kotnik, professional worker and secretary of the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing for Podravje Region and Maribor, to the council session. The meeting began with a video prepared by the Association, which highlighted past collaboration and outlined shared future challenges.
In an inspiring presentation, the guest introduced the Association’s activities, which are guided by the core mission and motto: To Understand and Be Understood. He informed attendees about deafness as a complex disability and a multifaceted challenge – encompassing communication barriers, social isolation, obstacles in education, limited access to information, psychological impact and economic aspects.
In the next part of the session, our colleague Polona Lah gave a comprehensive presentation of the new project Multigenerational Centre+ Srce Štajerska. The centre offers a wide range of opportunities for general and non-formal education, which are also accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. Strategic partners actively participated in the discussion and presented their roles in facilitating access to ALE for the deaf and hard of hearing.
One of the points raised was the greater difficulty deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals face in employment. Many of them possess rich yet unrecognised non-formally acquired knowledge and skills. Guidance within ALE, provided as a public service, can support them in the process of identifying and validating this knowledge. Up to now, cooperation between the guidance service and the Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing has mainly focused on group-based guidance activities. In collaboration with the SIAE, we developed and implemented the first pilot edition of the educational programme Information and Guidance for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adults for Participation in LL. Maribor AEC counsellors delivered the 8-hour programme in October and November 2024 in two sessions of four pedagogical hours each. Financial support from the Ministry of Education enabled us to ensure the presence of a sign language interpreter.
At the end of the session, we defined the next steps. We will conduct individual guidance sessions and participate in the development and implementation of a potential non-formal general education programme focused on social skills training within the project Key Competences (Ministry of Education and ESF). We will also explore possibilities for implementing education programmes for the deaf and hard of hearing under the new ALE Annual Plan of the Municipality of Maribor, among other initiatives.
Continuing in 2025
We believe that through strong partnerships and joint efforts, we will take an even more decisive step forward in 2025. We will strive to intensify the delivery of guidance services for this vulnerable group. New educational programmes will be developed and organised to meet their needs. Opportunities for expanding knowledge must never run out.
Alenka Sagadin Mlinarič (alenka.sagadin.mlinaric@azm-lu.si), Maribor AEC
Photo: Darko Šerjan, DGN Podravja Maribor
