Infrastructure Module GR legislation prerequisites and conditions for

Infrastructure Module GR (legislation, prerequisites and conditions for the education of the hearing impaired in Greece) Comenius project: “Comparative exchange study of teaching methods, models, procedures and supplementing supportive measures for the education of the hearing impaired” Presentation of the Athens Lyceum for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing during the Comenius project meeting at the RWB-Essen, Germany, March 02 nd-06 th, 2008 Barbara Papathanasiou, Dr. Chrissostomos Papaspyrou, Ioannis Tsotsoros

Overview of the Greek educational system age scale UNIVERSITIES 8 to 12 semester terms according to faculty TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITIES VOCATIONAL TRAINING INSTITUTES LYCEUM (HIGHER SECONDARY LEVEL) (general, vocational and technical) 3 schoolyears TECHNICALVOCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 2 LEVELS 2 schoolyears each primary education GYMNASIUM (LOWER SECONDARY LEVEL) 3 schoolyears PRIMARY SCHOOL 6 schoolyears preschool classes kindergarten LABOUR MARKET GREEK OPEN UNIVERSITY NURSERY SCHOOL compulsory education secondary education tertiary education POSTGRADUATE STUDIES

Legal modifications for the education of the hearing impaired: WHERE? 1) In the general educational system 2) At integration classes 3) At school institutions for special education (all levels) 4) At home (severe cases)

Legal modifications for the education of the hearing impaired: WHEN? 1) Early intervention during preschool age 2) Late schooling in case of severe multiple impairment

Legal modifications for the education of the hearing impaired: HOW LONG? 1) Seven primary schoolyears (instead of six) 2) Four lower secondary schoolyears (instead of three) 3) Four higher secondary schoolyears (instead of three)

Legal modifications for the education of the hearing impaired: HOW? 1) In principle, all teaching methods are suggested 2) Individually tailored educational support 3) Greek Sign Language acknowledged since 2000

Legal regulations supporting the hearing impaired to tertiary education • Lyceum absolvents are allowed up to a 3% additional rate to enter tertiary education institutions on the basis of their baccalaureate notes

Prerequisites for secondary level education of the hearing impaired 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Teachers, as well as the supporting staff, must have postgraduate degree in special education fields or at least 5 years experience in hearing impaired education in order to be permanently employed Teachers, as well as the supporting staff, must be fluent in greek sign language Students must bring an official diagnosis with at least 67% degree of impairment Students must have acquired an official certificate of termination of the immediately lower level Employment regulations favour hearing impaired teachers

Educational conditions regarding our school: POSITIVE 1) 2) It is possible to establish class sections with very few students according to their general background skills It is possible to adapt the general curriculum with reference to the actual impairment profile 3) The praefecture provides buses for transportation of the students free of charge 4) We can establish additional educational support classes (optional) with exceptional conditions 5) We are free to design our cultural events with mainstream schools promoting social integration of the students 6) We have a permanent vocational orientation service at our school that contacts the Ministry of Employment as well as other organizations in order to create favourable employment chances for our absolvents

Educational conditions regarding our school: NEGATIVE 1) Many legally prescribed favourable regulations have not yet been activated (e. g. 4 schoolyears instead of 3) 2) Certification of sign language fluency is still missing 3) We often cannot satisfy our teaching staff needs properly, because the Greek employment regulatory system is not flexible enough 4) Due to discontinuity reasons (primary and lower secondary level are administratively separate educational units) we are sometimes obliged to accept students who do not meet the requirements for higher secondary level 5) The private boarding school hosting students from remote parts of Greece functions under the authority of a different ministry, so that it is not possible to set principal rules for cooperation between the boarding school and our school

Our wish for the future 1) A better and more flexible regulatory system, in order that the beneficiary legislation issues can be immediately implemented 2) An official sign language fluency certification system that guarantees communication between students and educational staff 3) A legally anchored cooperation among all levels of the education of the hearing impaired. 4) An autonomy in making decisions regarding optimal schooling of the heretogeneous hearing impaired students according to their actual profile 5) A national network of schools for the hearing impaired, so that exchange of educational results and coordination can lead to a more standardized education mode