Back to School: Lessons to Learn

Back to School: Lessons to Learn

Project participants attending one of the intergenerational workshops
Project participants attending one of the intergenerational workshops

Your Heritage

Anderston/City/Yorkhill
Glasgow City
Scottish Council on Deafness
£37900
The Scottish Council on Deafness (SCOD) created a series of workshops on the educational experiences of older D/deaf people.

Important stories and lessons from older D/deaf people were in danger of being lost. The project aimed to preserve these memories, as well as connect older D/deaf people with the younger generation.

Volunteers were trained in oral history techniques and interviewed older members of the D/deaf community. Participants then produced three DVDs, which were distributed to libraries, schools and D/deaf organisations. The DVD features D/deaf people speaking in British Sign Language, with captions in English. The DVD comes with a booklet filled with old photographs.

The project worked in partnership with Deaf History Scotland to develop a series of intergenerational workshops. Volunteers went into schools across Scotland to help both D/deaf and hearing children learn about what school was like for D/deaf people in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s.

23 people volunteered with the project in activities including conducting interviews, transcribing the videos and helping run workshops.