Mgr Agnieszka Kołodziejczak
We should underline the uniqueness of the aforementioned doctoral defense. The format and accessibility of the doctoral defense in the form of subtitles, a set of translators and the induction loop capabilities make the defense of the doctoral dissertation only the second such event in Poland after the defense of Dr Monika Szczygielska at the University of Warsaw "Dostępność wydarzeń dla osób z niepełnosprawnością w Polsce" in 2022 (the defense took place online). The presentation of mgr Agnieszka Kołodziejczak at the defense will be bilingual (Polish phonic language and Polish sign language).
PUBLIC DEFENSE OF THE DOCTORAL DISSERTATION BY MGR AGNIESZKA KOŁODZIEJCZAK – more information (in Polish).
Industrial doctorate
The issue of accessibility of culture and art for deaf and hard of hearing people has become the leading topic of the doctoral dissertation entitled: "Problem dostępności informacji w instytucjach publicznych oraz podmiotach ekonomii społecznej w obszarze kultury i sztuki dla osób słabo- i niesłyszących w Polsce. Rekomendacje i standardy" by mgr Kołodziejczak under the supervision of dr hab. Aneta Pawłowska, Associate Professor at the University of Lodz. The research work was conducted in the period October 2019 – June 2024 as part of the University of Lodz Doctoral School of Humanities and the Social Support Association "Ja-Ty-My" 3rd edition of the grant programme of the Minister of Science and Higher Education "Industrial doctoral programme".
The research
First, it should be strongly emphasised that the observations and research initiated by mgr Agnieszka Kołodziejczak, as part of her doctoral dissertation have not been conducted from the perspective of people dealing with disability as a research field. They were and are conducted from the point of view of a deaf researcher – an insider (who knows sign language), which highlights the cultural and linguistic perspective of the deaf community using sign language. Therefore, they are a type of participant observation, but also autoethnographic reflection in which the researcher is a participant in the community, a self-advocate.
As part of the doctoral dissertation, the research was carried out on the accessibility and effectiveness of methods of presenting culture and art, as well as on the educational activities of cultural institutions in terms of the accessibility of information in the area of culture and art, not only in Poland, but also comparatively – in the author’s selection – in ten European countries and the USA.
Conducting the research and implementing the activities described in my doctoral dissertation is an attempt to develop a broader methodology for increasing the accessibility of information in the area of culture and art for deaf and hard of hearing people. The elements of the aforementioned methodology include a model of practice for a deaf museum educator (based on my own work as an educator and observations of the work of other educators), implementation of a model exhibition available in a broad aspect to the deaf community in Poland and Europe (Głusza exhibition at the Silesian Museum in Katowice, duration 23 June 2022 – 04 June 2023), models for the production of educational and informational films in Polish sign language in the form of a knowledge base on the history of art and culture (original social innovation projects implemented in 2021-2022: Wymigane zagadnienia renesansu oraz Od wczesnego chrześcijaństwa do gotyku – podręcznik historii sztuki w polskim języku migowym (PJM), principles of cooperation with sign language interpreters specialising in culture and art.
Source: mgr Agnieszka Kołodziejczak
Photos: mgr Agnieszka Kołodziejczak