This working visit is part of a reinforced partnership between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Gallaudet University, a symbol of international collaboration in inclusive education and accessibility, said a press release from the Lalla Asmaa Foundation. This partnership is a key step to allow Morocco to become the first country in Africa and the region to offer a university entirely dedicated to the education of deaf and hard of hearing children, offering a full school career, ranging from early childhood to doctorate.
Gallaudet University is unique in the world by its education model. It allows deaf and hard of hearing to benefit from a complete educational journey, from early childhood to doctorate, with programs and specializations identical to those offered by major world renown universities, added the press release. This model offers students access to high -level higher education, demonstrating that, unlike often reductive perception in society, these children, like any other, can access excellence and follow demanding training. Through this model, Gallaudet breaks stereotypes and barriers that limit the ambitions of deaf and hard of hearing children, by offering them the opportunity to achieve their potential and flourish in a quality educational environment.
Her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa Wish to see a similar initiative to Morocco, allowing young deaf and missing Moroccan to access a full university course, thus offering equal opportunities for all, the press release said.
The visit was marked by the observation of a class of students in a room in one of the university departments, said the press release, adding that this event allowed its Royal Highness to discover the academic projects of the students and to appreciate the quality of the education provided in Gallaudet. The warm welcome reserved for SAR Princess Lalla Asmaa by the whole of the university community marked a strong moment of this day, illustrating the importance of the commitment and determination of deaf young people in the pursuit of their studies.
The Motion Light Lab: Innovation at the service of education
Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa visited the Light Lab motion, a unique laboratory that is devoted to the creation of bilingual visual books, supporting learning to read and write for deaf and hard of hearing children. Researchers and educators presented their innovative methods to Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa, where the alliance of sign language and visual supports helps support children in their cognitive and linguistic development. His Royal Highness has particularly praised the impact of these resources, stressing the relevance of such initiatives for the children of the Kingdom of Morocco, in particular within the framework of the work that the Lalla Asmaa Foundation leads for the education of deaf children, added the press release.
Discovery of the Student Academic Center: an accessibility model
His Royal Highness has also visited the Student Academic Center in Gallaudet, a center that embodies the philosophy of the university: accessibility to education for all. This center offers infrastructure adapted to the specific needs of deaf and hard of hearing students, including tools such as CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and support technologies such as Video Relay Service Booths.
By observing these installations, SAR Princess Lalla Asmaa expressed his interest in the development of an environment similar to Morocco, where deaf students could benefit from global care, from primary school to the university cycle. An ambassador student offered a symbolic gift to Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa in front of the university store, testifying to the spirit of welcoming and integration that characterizes Gallaudet.
-The Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center: support for deaf and hearing impaired
The delegation has also returned to the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center, a center of excellence which offers educational programs adapted to deaf and hearing impaired, from preschool to high school. Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa observed an educational session with young deaf children, accompanied by their parents, and was able to see the educational approach based on early interaction and the acquisition of sign language. The educators presented the early intervention methodology which allows children to develop their language and their social skills from an early age.
SAR Princess Lalla Asmaa was also particularly interested in the Family Learning approach, which makes it possible to train parents to be active partners in the linguistic and social development of their children. This approach, focused on the inclusion and active participation of families, is a model that Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa wishes to promote in Morocco through educational projects supported by the Lalla Asmaa Foundation.
The signature ceremony: an agreement protocol and the prospects of a first in Africa
The visit was marked by a signature ceremony at the National Deaf Museum, where an agreement was signed by Mr. Karim Essakalli, deputy president of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, and the president of Gallaudet University, Roberta J. Cordano. This agreement, explains the press release, marks the beginning of a reinforced collaboration between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Gallaudet University, with the aim of creating synergies in terms of training, research and exchange of good practices to improve the inclusion of deaf people, both in Morocco and on the international level, in particular in Africa.
The signing of this agreement represents a major step for Morocco, which, thanks to this collaboration, could soon have the first university in Africa entirely dedicated to the education of deaf people, thus offering a complete academic course to the doctorate. This project will allow deaf and hard of hearing children from Morocco to have access to quality education, promoting their inclusion in society and offering them real prospects for the future.
A personal commitment of her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa
Throughout this working visit, her Royal Highness Princess Lalla Asmaa has shown a deep and constant commitment to improve the living conditions of deaf and hard of hearing children in Morocco. His vision is to meet the needs of the children of the kingdom by offering them an educational environment that respects their singularity while guaranteeing their full integration into society. This desire to develop educational practices in Morocco finds a particular echo in the support it provides to the Lalla Asmaa Foundation, an organization that tirelessly works to offer deaf children with hearing disabilities of the Kingdom of future perspectives and access to quality resources.
The commitment of Sar Princess Lalla Asmaa is reflected in her desire to share the advances of the Lalla Asmaa Foundation internationally, starting with Africa, where inclusive education challenges are still numerous. His active participation in the signing of this partnership with Gallaudet University is a clear example of his personal involvement and his sense of listening to the needs of the Kingdom’s children.
This visit, marked by fruitful exchanges and a reinforced collaboration between the Lalla Asmaa Foundation and the Gallaudet University, testifies to the unshakable commitment of her Royal Highness the Princess Lalla Asmaa for the development of deaf and hard of hearing children, like the values of the kingdom, solidarity and social justice, carried by his majesty King Mohammed Vi, that God assists him, concludes the foundation’s press release.
