Jordan Daily – The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) have concluded a project to develop academic sign language for schools serving deaf students in Jordan.
In a statement sent to Jordan Daily, the initiative, carried out in partnership with the Ministry of Education, was funded by KOICA.
At the project’s closing ceremony, held under the patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Mired bin Raad, HCD Secretary-General Dr. Muhannad Al-Azza emphasized the importance of the initiative in promoting an inclusive educational system. “The council is working with its partners to achieve an educational system that embraces diversity and meets the needs of persons with disabilities, ensuring equal access to educational services and programs,” he said.
Al-Azza noted the project’s role in addressing challenges faced by deaf and hard-of-hearing students, particularly through the development of sign language terms that enhance their ability to comprehend academic content. He added that this improvement in communication would positively affect students’ academic performance and social interaction within the school environment.
South Korean Ambassador to Jordan Kim Pilwoo also spoke at the event, stressing the significance of the project in advancing inclusive education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. “Improving the quality of education available to deaf and hard-of-hearing students not only affects their academic outcomes but also changes their lives, making them more capable of interacting with their communities and paving the way for a brighter future,” he said.
The project, the first of its kind in Jordan, developed approximately 2,000 new academic sign language terms, focusing on scientific and academic vocabulary previously unavailable in Jordanian Sign Language. These terms will be accessible for free on a global sign language platform dedicated to teachers and deaf students.
As part of the initiative, a specialized technical committee comprising teachers and experts from the deaf community worked on the new terms, and a series of training programs was implemented, reaching 500 teachers and educational supervisors across the kingdom.
The project is expected to improve the skills and employability of deaf students and graduates, while also transferring Korea’s expertise in technical education to Jordan.
