The aim of the project was to sustainably strengthen the financial literacy of deaf young people through inclusive and accessible learning materials. The focus was on the use of sign language, visual elements and easy-to-understand language. The project included a research phase in which practices in the field of financial education were identified. Offers from financial service providers and advice centres that already offer services for deaf people in the financial sector were collected. These examples of best practice were published in the form of a digital map. This provides a clear overview of inclusive financial education programmes in the participating countries and serves as a guide for future projects. A special feature of the project was its participatory approach: deaf young people, trainers and youth workers were actively involved in the development of the content. As part of learning mobility programmes, they were able to test content, provide feedback and help shape the development process. The results of the project are comprehensively tested tools and course concepts that can now be used throughout Europe to teach financial literacy.
The motivation for the Erasmus+ Project Financial Signs was the recognition that, across Europe, there are hardly any (language-)accessible offers in the field of finance for deaf people. This concerns counselling, information, and in particular training opportunities. Without such offers in the first language of deaf people – sign language – they can hardly acquire basic financial competences, such as understanding the difference between gross and net salary, realizing that taking out a loan means repaying not only the borrowed sum but also interest, or knowing how such interest is calculated. Yet it is precisely these basic skills that are essential in order to make informed financial decisions in everyday life. In addition, the integrative potential of sign language remains unused. Especially for deaf young people, who are still orienting themselves and searching for their place in life, the absence of offers in sign language sends a strong signal of exclusion: that they are disadvantaged in a “hearing” world and have hardly any real chance to build an independent and self-determined life through their own effort.