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22 September 2021
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Story Michelle Nöthling
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Photo Supplied
Annemarie Le Roux.
“I love working with children.” This is one of the first things Annemarie le Roux mentions when asked to describe herself. This love for children propelled Annemarie into the field of education and she graduated in 2006 with a BEd in Foundation Phase at the UFS. Annemarie immediately immersed herself in the Deaf community, enriching the lives of children at the Thiboloha School for the Deaf in Qwaqwa and the De la Bat School for the Deaf in Worcester.
The academic world enticed Annemarie back to the University of the Free State (UFS) and she was appointed as a junior lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies in 2013. Going from strength to strength, Annemarie completed her master’s degree in SASL in 2019, and published an
article earlier this year that she co-wrote with Marga Stander. In this article, they found that SASL “has become an increasingly popular language that hearing university students want to learn as a second language” and subsequently explored different teaching methods used for this emerging group of interested students.
Although now firmly established in academia, Annemarie is still committed to the practical application of SASL. “I am closely involved in student and community engagement through the
SIGNALS Sign Language student association that helps empower the Deaf community and South African Sign Language.” She also interprets for the Deaf community whenever she gets an opportunity, as well as for Deaf students in class and meetings.
On the importance of Sign Language and the recognition of the Deaf community in South Africa, Annemarie believes it will open greater opportunities for development. “More people will be able to learn SASL, and it might even become a subject in school for hearing children.”
UFS in new partnership with the Vrije University of Amsterdam
2011-11-17
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Proff. Lex Boutler (left) from the Vrije University of Amsterdam and Jonathan Jansen are signing an institutional Memorandum of Understanding. Prof. Boutler was part of a delegation that visited the campus two weeks ago.
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A delegation from the Vrije University of Amsterdam (VUA) visited the UFS two weeks ago to discuss and sign an institutional Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the VUA and UFS.
The MOU follows after academics have collaborated on a number of research projects between the Faculties of Theology and the International Institute for Studies in Race, Reconciliation and Social Justice to create a firm foundation for the two universities to strengthen their collaborative efforts towards achieving academic excellence.
Another initiative that was discussed was the possibility of a joint PhD project and mobility scholarship through the South Africa-VU Amsterdam Strategic Alliances (SAVUSA) and Stimulating Knowledge Innovation through Life-long Learning (SKILL) programme earmarked for UFS and VUA staff and Master’s and PhD graduate students.
The VUA delegation also had an opportunity to meet and engage with the UFS F1 students. These students will visit the VUA in January 2012, where they will also visit the Amsterdam University College (AUC).
The AUC is an international liberal arts and sciences programme that attracts students from all over the world to engage through intensive seminars on a variety of subjects.