• Introduction of guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers and professionals in the educational sector – with focus on deaf signers with refugee and immigration backgrounds;
• Development of guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers and professionals in the educational sector – with focus on deaf children and their families as well as heritage signers.

• Definition/awareness of vulnerability of learners (deaf signers with refugee and immigration backgrounds, deaf children and their families as well as heritage signers)
• Application of the concepts ‘Inclusion’, ‘Plurlingualism’, ‘Language Competencies’ and ‘Democratic participation’ to the groups of vulnerable learners (deaf signers with refugee and immigration backgrounds, deaf children and their families as well as heritage signers)
• Structure and content of guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers and professionals in the educational sector

• Glossary
• Guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers and professionals in the educational sector working with deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds
• Outline of guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers and professionals in the educational sector working with deaf children and their families as well as heritage signers

Professional background:

1. Participants have experience of working with policy makers and professionals in the education sector working with adult deaf signers from refugee and migrant backgrounds, or
2. participants have experience of working with policy makers and professionals in the education sector working with deaf children and their families as well as with heritage signers. 
3. Ideally, participants will have some knowledge/experience of sign language(s) and sign language communities in the country of residence and in one or more ECML member state/s as well as of needs of vulnerable learners.

Potential workshop participants can be either

• members of language councils at the national government;
• members of department of equality at the national government;
• members of focal points of UNCRPD (The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) at the national government;
• members of ministry of education who deal with issues of Deaf Education or
• members of ministry of education who deal with language-related issues in education (e.g. the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages - CEFR).

Before the event

Participants are expected ...:

• to take part in the survey on Deaf Signers with Deaf Signers from immigrant and refugee backgrounds; 
• to have read some background papers provided by the DeafSign team; 
• to bring examples of good practice from their country: resources to support quality provision of sign language learning opportunities for three target groups: 
  • Deaf signers with an immigrant and refugee background, 
  • Deaf children and their families, and 
  • heritage signers. 

  The resources should include: 

  • quality standards of teachers’ qualifications 
  • guidelines/recommendations for policy makers in the educational sector
  • teaching and learning resources

During the event 

Participants are expected ...:

• to provide input and feedback on the results of the survey on sign language learning opportunities for Deaf learners with migrant and refugee backgrounds; 
• to contribute to the development of guidelines/recommendations to support quality provision of sign language 

After the event

Participants are expected to ...:

• to provide input and feedback on documents produced as a result of the workshop; 
• to disseminate guidelines and recommendations/resources for policy makers (with emphasis on learners with refugee and migration backgrounds); 
• to contribute to public awareness on the needs of vulnerable learners (deaf learners with refugee and immigration backgrounds, deaf children and their families, heritage signers).