Green Schools For All: Fostering Accessibility and Sustainability in Education

29th of May 2024 – Chiara Gunella (TransMedia Catalonia)

 

Last week was full of inspiration at the Autonomous University of Barcelona as we hosted a group of primary school students for the “Green Schools For All” initiative. This partnership with Fundación Autónoma y Solidaria, GreenSCENT, TransMedia Catalonia, and XarxaAccessCat promotes sustainability and accessibility education using digital tools.

The event began with students sharing their 360 stories that showcased the sustainability initiatives at their schools. These presentations were enhanced with audio descriptions and sign language, featuring interviews, 360-degree images, and suggestions for improving sustainability. Embracing their roles as researchers, the students actively engaged in questioning and filming activities within their schools while incorporating accessibility features into their work. All materials were developed using the GreenVERSE platform, crafted as part of the GreenSCENT project to ensure accessibility and encourage interactive learning and collaboration.

A highlight of the day was the interactive group activities, designed to deepen the students’ understanding of accessibility. Split into groups, the students tackled various challenges, gaining hands-on experience in recognizing and applying accessibility features. These activities included:

• Guess the Character:  Characters were shown on a screen, and one group member who could see the screen describes the physical features of these characters without mentioning their names or the movies they’re from. The rest of the group then guessed based on these descriptions. This game incorporated audio description techniques to favour the understanding of the importance of this practice.
• What Do You Hear? In this auditory-focused workshop, students listened to various sounds and languages, guessing their sources and identifying the languages spoken. This exercise highlighted the importance of multilingualism and the inclusion of auditory elements in subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, stressing the necessity of accessible communication across different sensory modalities.
• Speak with Hands: The facilitator used sign language to have students guess the meanings of her signs. Following this, students were encouraged to mimic the sign language themselves. This approach sparked significant curiosity and promoted interactive learning.

The feedback from the event was positive. The students left the university in a renewed determination to boost both the accessibility and sustainability of their schools. We are profoundly thankful to all the students, teachers, and partners who contributed to the success of the day. Yesterday reminded us of the critical role that education and teamwork play in creating a fairer and better future. We are eager to continue this journey towards more sustainable and accessible schools and are excited to witness the future accomplishments of these young innovators. A heartfelt thank you to everyone involved for a truly enriching day!