PRIORITIES

The primary reason of this project is contribute to the reduction of carbon footprint in food production, to sustainable food production studies and to the protection of water resources. Research shows that food production is one of the biggest problems of global environmental change, contributing negatively to climate change, biodiversity loss, freshwater use, interference with the global nitrogen and phosphorus cycle, and soil system change. Replacing animal-based foods with plant-based foods may be effective in reducing these negative effects (Willet et al., 2019).

 

In most traditional educational programs, priority is given to the needs of people without hearing impairments, while the participation of deaf people is typically facilitated through additional accommodations made after the fact; however, some countries that prioritize inclusive education are an exception to this general approach. In vocational training for deaf people, these accommodations are often limited to translating course content into sign language; interpreters who are not sufficiently familiar with the relevant professional field and terminology can negatively impact the quality of education. Nevertheless, an educational program featuring interpreters with specialized knowledge, accessible materials, and appropriate pedagogical approaches can provide deaf people with learning outcomes equivalent to those of other students. The source of deficiencies in the learning process is not deafness, but rather the fact that educational materials and accommodations are not designed to meet this need. Within the framework of this partnership, the project aims to develop field-specific and accessible educational and translation practices.

 

Throughout the Europe, number of people adopting a vegan diet is growing rapidly. Various restaurants and food businesses are expanding their vegan options by adding vegan products to their menus. However, the necessity for chefs capable of vegan products are increasing each day. It is a known fact that many businesses offering food and beverage services are looking for staff with vegan culinary knowledge and skills. In short, the most important thing to do in order to be a good cook who can find a job in the sector is to receive training in a way that has international vegan culinary knowledge and skills. However, these trainings are very expensive and not easy for disadvantaged groups to access. This is the most important reason why we want to implement the project on an international scale.

 

As part of our project, we will create a platform for deaf people who wish to develop their skills in vegan cooking. In the next phase of the project, we will develop a unique learning program covering the fundamentals and techniques of vegan cooking, as well as vegan recipes from various countries, for use in our partner countries and across Europe. Subsequently, distance learning materials in sign language will be developed for this learning program. All of these outputs will be made available to anyone interested through our online, open-access platform, which requires no membership. This will make a significant contribution to the vocational training of deaf people, their transition into the labor market, and addressing gaps in access to vocational training for deaf adults.