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SASL Star: Annemarie Le Roux

22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied

“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.”

News Archive

International scholars discuss Higher Education and Human Development

2012-07-05

World-leading scholars. From the left are: Profs. Elaine Unterhalter, Monica Mclean, Alejandra Boni and Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti.
Photo: Stephen Collett.
5 July 2012

The new research area on Higher Education and Human Development, led by Prof. Melanie Walker, recently hosted an international workshop and an innovative one day research seminar with world-leading scholars in the field.

At the research seminar, papers were presented by Prof. Alejandra Boni (Technical University of Valencia, Spain) on the human development university; Prof. Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti (University of Pavia, Italy) on human capital and human capabilities; Prof. Monica McLean (University of Nottingham, United Kingdom) on pedagogical rights and equality and Prof. Elaine Unterhalter (Institute of Education, United Kingdom) on gender and human development trade-offs.

Those present were invited to consider human development purposes for public universities in the 21st century and the implications that would follow for human capabilities development, curriculum and pedagogies, and diversity and inclusion.

Copies of the presentations can be obtained from Dr Sonja Loots at lootss@ufs.ac.za.

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