Wednesday 06/08
| 13:00-17:00 | Registration (13:00-16:00 at Campus Tweekerken, From 16:30 at City Hall of Gent) |
| 17:00-18:30 | Opening reception at the City Hall of Gent. After the opening reception, get to know Belgian culture. |
| 18:30-… | Cafe Gruut Belgian Culture |
Thursday 07/08
Opening 08:00
Start 09:15
| Opening Ceremony |
| Belgian Deaf History Overview |
| Hugo Platteau (Belgium) |
| The start of the Youth movement in Deaf Europe 1985 – 1989 |
| Benny Elferink (Netherlands) |
10:45 Coffee break
Start 11:00
| Deaf young people in the Nordic countries 1954-2024 – 70 years cooperation. |
| Peter Niemelä (Denmark) |
| Teaching Beyond Sound: Reaching the Mind and Heart of Deaf Learners |
| Volodymyr Kovtun (Ukraine) |
| Deaf memories -how to study? |
| Outi Ahonen (Finland) |
12:30 Lunch
Start 13:30
| Film – Deaf People in Pre- and Postwar Okinawa, August 6, 1945 |
| Keiko Chijiwa (Japan) |
15:00 Coffee break
Start 15:30
| Recovering the experiences of deaf young people from Australian school records – reading “against the grain” |
| Breda Carty & Vanessa Alford (Australia) |
| More than a thousand words: the photographic archive of the Pious Institute of the Deaf in Milan |
| Luca Des Dorides & Francesca Di Meo (Italy) |
| Time Capsules of Our Own: How Deaf Made Home Movies Authenticate and Reshape Our Histories |
| Matt Malzkuhn (United States of America) |
| Deaf Museum Panel |
| Hugo Platteau & Vincent Ameloot (Belgium) |
Start 18:00
| Informal get-together with short, cultural performances |
End 21:00
Friday 08/08
Open registration 08:00
Start 09:15
Start 09:15
| Youth Movement and Deaf History: The Role of Deaf Tour Guides in Shaping National Identity and Historical Consciousness |
| Tatiana Trofimova (Russia) |
| Berlin Deaf Jewish Youth Section |
| Mark Zaurov (Germany) |
| Heritage and Preservation of Ugandan Sign Language and Deaf Culture |
| Sam Lutalo-Kiingi (Uganda) |
10:45 Coffee break
Start 11:00
| Deaf People in Pre- and Postwar Okinawa August 6, 1945 |
| Keiko Chijiiwa (Japan) |
| From Invisible to Visible, Securing Our Deaf Heritage for Future Generations |
| Lianne Westenberg (Netherlands) |
| Preserving Legacy: Documenting the Narratives within Deaf Communities |
| Pamela Macias (United States of America) |
12:30 Lunch
Start 13:30
| Senegal Deaf History Overview |
| Guedji Diouf (Senegal) |
| Signed History Research Workshop |
| Outi Ahonen (Finland) |
15:00 Coffee break
Start 15:30
| DHI General Assembly |
17:00 Break
Start 17:30
| Informal get-together with short, cultural performances |
End 21:00
Saturday 09/08
Open registration 08:00
Start 09:15
Start 09:15
| The Sterilisation Act, Patriarchy, and Archival Silences: The Position of Deaf Young Women in Finland |
| Maija Koivisto (Finland) |
| Youth-Driven Deaf Art and the Research Gaps in Contemporary Russian Discourse |
| Sofia Aleksandrova (Russia) |
| De Haerne – Founder of St John’s Institute for the Deaf |
| Agnes Dyab & Lisa Broom (United Kingdom) |
10:45 Coffee break
Start 11:00
| Former Signs & Current Signs |
| Oliver de Langhe (France) |
| Etymology of Sign Language in Belgium: VGT and LSFB |
| Hannes De Durpel (Belgium) |
| A Century of Strength and Spirit: The History of Physical Culture and Sports for the Deaf in Kharkiv Region |
| Volodymyr Kovtun (Ukraine) |
12:30 Lunch
Start 13:30
| Screening of a Film on History at the Institute for Deaf Youth in Brazzaville |
| Richard Andzouana (Congo) |
| Film |
| Richard Andzouana (Congo) |
15:00 Coffee break
Start 15:30
| Hearing Impaired Youth Before the War |
| Angel Naumovski & Lino Ujčić (Croatia) |
| Brothers of Silence. A Biography becomes a Comic. |
| Susanna Ricci Bitti, Alessandra Marras, Alessio Di Renzo (Italy) |
| Deaf Youth Panel |
| Ophélie Sicot (France) & Sam Onclin (Netherlands) |
Start 17:30
| Closing Ceremony |
| Free Time |
Start 19:00
| DHI 2025 Gala |
Sunday 10/08
Opening 08:00
| 9:15-10:45 | Guided Tour of Gent with a deaf guide |
| 13:00-15:00 | Meeting: Outgoing bureau, Incoming Bureau, 2027 Conference Host, 2030 Conference Host |
Departure of participants
Languages at the Conference
The conference will be conducted in
– English,
– International Sign,
– Flemish Sign Language (VGT)
– French Belgian Sign Language (LSFB)
– Speech-to-text interpretation in English will also be provided.