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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.”
Unit for Students with Disabilities impresses
2012-08-10
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MUT learns from UFS: From the left, back: Ms Hetsie Veitch, Head of the Unit for Students with Disabilities at the UFS; Mr Rudi Buys, Student Dean at the UFS; front: Mr Mthoko Ntuli, Student Development Officer; Ms Lindiwe Chamane, Student Guidance Officer; and Dr Sibongiseni Ngcamu, Coordinator of Organisational Development (all from the MUT).
10 August 2012 |
Staff of the Mangosuthu University of Technology (MUT) in KwaZulu-Natal visited the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS) to gain insight into the working of the Unit for Students with Disabilities. They visited the campus on recommendation of the Deputy Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, Ms Hendrietta Ipeleng Bogopane-Zulu.
In the interaction between the two institutions, it was agreed that the Unit for Students with Disabilities would assist the MUT in drawing up a policy for students with disabilities, as well as on how to make residences more accessible and to manage support services for the students. The two institutions also agree to closer collaboration of student governance and leadership development as well as international students.
Ms Hetsie Veitch, Head of the Unit for Students with Disabilities, said this was not the first time that the UFS was used as a benchmark. She said the UFS is held in high regard because every disabled student’s needs were specifically addressed. “We follow a holistic approach so that students with disabilities have the same student life and experience as any other