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22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied
Emily Matabane.

“I love teaching hearing people Sign Language,” Emily immediately mentions when asked about herself, “so that they can communicate with Deaf people and work with them.” Part of her passion, though, was borne from personal hardship. Emily had a difficult experience when she entered the work environment in 2000, since she was the only Deaf person among an all-hearing staff. Can one even begin to imagine the frustration and isolation she must have experienced? It is no wonder, then, that her vision is for Deaf people to have equal access to information, and for the hearing and Deaf to be able to communicate with each other more freely. And the latter she is pursuing with all her energy.

“When I started working as a Teaching Assistant in the UFS Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies,” Emily recalls, “few students were interested in studying Sign Language, because they were not aware of Deaf people and Sign Language.” This has started to change, though, as Emily is noticing a drastic increase in the number of UFS students enrolling for SASL. “I am now familiar with a lot of hearing student who have done Sign Language at our university, and they are very friendly when I meet them. Also, because they are able to greet me in Sign Language!” It is important to note that the department teaches SASL modules to both Deaf and hearing students (and staff) who want to learn the language – which is now also available as an online option.

As a second-year student studying BEd, Emily has formed a close relationship with CUADS (Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support) at the UFS. “CUADS is doing a great job in assisting students with disabilities and catering for their needs. They assist students to have access to education on the same level as other students without disabilities.”

Sign Language is of vital importance to the Deaf community, since it is the language of accessibility for Deaf people. “We are proud and acknowledge Sign Language as a medium of communication,” says Emily. “It allows us to express ourselves, and to teach and transfer our Deaf culture from one generation to the other.”

Ultimately, Emily is hopeful that Sign Language will become embraced, celebrated, and recognised as equal to the other official languages in South Africa.

News Archive

UFS Dean presents lecture at the University of Cambridge
2009-10-09

 
Here at the main entrance (the "Chimney") of the Jesus College, after the certificate ceremony, are from far left: Prof. Barry Rider, Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge and Hosei Project leader, a group of students (Masters degree in Law) of the Faculty of Law from the Hosei University who received competency certificates after successfully completing the Hosei Summer School Project at the Jesus College, Prof. Henning, and Ms Li-hong Xing, Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for International Documentation on Organised and Economic Crime, Cambridge and Hosei Project Administrator.
Photo: Supplied

Prof. Johan Henning, Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of the Free State (UFS) and Head of the Centre for Business Law at this faculty, delivered three papers during this year’s Cambridge International Symposium on Economic Crime that took place at Jesus College at the University of Cambridge in Cambridge. The theme of this 27th symposium was: “The enemy within – internal threats to the stability and integrity of financial institutions”.

Prof. Henning’s presentations were about: “Conflicts of interest and duty – a persistent threat”, “Data security and identity fraud” and “The responsibility of management for the prevention and control of financial crime-related risks”.

Over and above the three papers he delivered, Prof. Henning was also part of the secretariat of the symposium and he acted as chairperson at some of the workshops.

The UFS’s Faculty of Law was once again very much involved in the organisation and participation of the symposium. Since 1992, the Centre for Business Law of the Faculty of Law has been one of a few organising institutions of this popular and well-known symposium.

Prior to the symposium, Prof. Henning also acted as guest professor at the week-long Hosei Summer School Project that is presented by the Faculty of Law of the Hosei University (Tokyo Japan) in cooperation with the University of Cambridge. He presented two extended workshops for LLM students on International Business Law and Comparative Company Law.

Prof. Henning is also a Professorial Fellow at the Jesus College and a principal lecturer in International Mercantile Law at the Hosei University Summer School.




 

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