The goal of the Ecosign program was to address the lack of educational materials for the environmental education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in preschool and early school ages. Our objective was to develop a comprehensive educational program that introduces deaf and hard-of-hearing toddlers to the processes of recycling and environmental conservation. The program was designed using modern educational technological tools, storytelling, educational games, and lesson plans to ensure that the content is easily accessible and understandable by the children.
We applied for the Ecosign program due to the urgent need to address the lack of accessible educational materials for teaching environmental topics to deaf and hard-of-hearing children. During the 2021-2022 school year, the introduction of "Skill Labs" in kindergarten programs highlighted the need for content aligned with environmental education requirements. Although educators were keen to teach these topics, the absence of accessible materials for deaf students remained a significant barrier. Thus, the need to create a comprehensive educational guide on environmental issues and recycling became imperative, leading to our participation in the Ecosign program. This specific lack of materials was the primary reason for our application, aiming to improve both access and the quality of environmental education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.