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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

Exercise is medicine

2013-02-20

The Health and Wellness team teaches the UFS how to stay healthy.
Photo: Lelanie de Wet
20 February 2013

Staff and students were sweating it out on Wednesday 20 February during the annual Exercise is Medicine campaign.

This international campaign to promote healthy living and create exercise awareness at participating companies, was launched for the first time on African soil last year at the UFS.

Exercise is Medicine is an initiative which encourages health care providers to include exercise when designing treatment plans for patients. The programme was designed by the American College of Sports Medicine and it has a presence in countries such as Australia, Italy, China and Brazil.

As part of the programme launch, staff and students will attend presentations by prominent health practitioners and participate in a range of fitness activities, such as Taebo and Zumba.

The Wellness Division of the Centre for Health and Wellness has more activities planned for the rest of the year to keep Kovsies healthy.

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