SIGN-HUB: Preserving, Researching and Fostering the Linguistic, Historical and Cultural Heritage of European Deaf Signing Communities
| University | Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) |
|---|---|
| Centre/Department/Research group | Department of Translation and Language Sciences.
GLiF Formal Linguistics Research Group. LSC Lab Research Unit and Centre d’Estudis UPF-Actua. |
| Research title | SIGN-HUB: Preserving, Researching and Fostering the Linguistic, Historical and Cultural Heritage of European Deaf Signing Communities |
| Scientific area | Linguistics |
| Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) | SDG 11: Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable |
| Target(s) to which it contributes | 11.1. By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums
11.4. Strengthen efforts to protect and safeguard the world’s cultural and natural heritage 11.7. By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities 11.B. By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels |
| Further information | https://www.upf.edu/web/sign-hub
www.sign-hub.eu |
SIGN-HUB aims to provide the first comprehensive response to the societal and scientific challenge resulting from generalized neglect of the cultural and linguistic identity of signing Deaf communities in Europe. Sign languages and the cultural heritage of Deaf communities are largely unkown and subject to false preconceptions and prejudices. As a consequence, these Deaf communities still do not benefit from the rights accorded to linguistic minorities.
This research project aims at promoting the recognition of sign languages and contributing to a better understanding of their linguistic properties. To this end, we are creating an innovative and inclusive resource hub for the linguistic, historical and cultural documentation of the Deaf communities’ heritage and for sign language assessment in clinical intervention. The digital platform will be open access and will have customized accessible interfaces.
SIGN-HUB is a 4-year research project (2016-2020) funded by the European Commission within Horizon 2020 Reflective Society 2015, Research and Innovation actions.
SIGN-HUB’s contribution to UN’s Goals to Transform Our World is mainly through Goal 11. We want to contribute to promoting coexistence and to create inclusive and accessible environments for signers; we aim to preserve the cultural and linguistic heritage of Deaf signers; we pursue that stakeholders (policy makers, health and education professionals, leisure, etc.) know the deaf community and include it in their fields of intervention.
The project’s impact has been very satisfactory so far: SIGN-HUB has made its advances to society available through newsletters, social networks, the organization of conferences and summer schools, participation in meetings with stakeholders, etc. However, its impact will not end once the project is completed by 2020. Policy briefs for stakeholders will be published and the platform will continue online and open access in the coming years. A scientific editorial board made up of members of the universities involved in SIGN-HUB will manage the platform after the end of the project.
