The First International Forum of the "Georgian Deaf Union" and the World Federation of the Deaf
Organized by the "Georgian Deaf Union" and the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), the international forum "Understanding and Using" was held. The forum was opened by Ekaterine Dgebuadze, Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport of Georgia, together with Amiran Batatunashvili, President of the "Georgian Deaf Union", and Joseph Murray, President of the World Federation of the Deaf.
The forum was held in Georgia for the first time, and its aim is to protect and advocate for the rights of the global deaf and hard-of-hearing community.
According to the Deputy Minister, it is important to introduce qualified sign language specialists into the system and to ensure greater integration of deaf students into educational and public life.
"For years, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport has been working on the development of Georgian Sign Language. The revision of new textbooks for grades 1-6 is underway, along with the creation of new, previously non-existent signs, which serves to improve the quality of students' education.
For the integration of hard-of-hearing students, an integrated class operates at Tbilisi Public School No. 64 with the Ministry's programmatic funding, where hard-of-hearing students are integrated with other students. In addition, we have created a mobile application that further facilitates communication with them. In the future, the Ministry will continue to support the development and popularization of sign language, the enhancement of teachers' qualifications, and the provision of continuous education for them," stated Ekaterine Dgebuadze.
The forum was attended by the leaders and full board members of world deaf associations from the USA, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and other countries.
The forum was also attended by representatives of the legislative and executive authorities of Georgia and the diplomatic corps.
