Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

SASL Star: Lerato Sheila Thamahane

22 September 2021 | Story Michelle Nöthling | Photo Supplied

Lerato Thamahane may be able to speak and understand all nine of South Africa’s official African languages, but it is a tenth language she is devoting her life to: South African Sign Language (SASL).

With nearly ten years’ experience as a SASL interpreter in several settings – ranging from the medical and mental-health fields to that of conferences and Deafblind interpreting – Lerato is living her life’s purpose. “I regard myself as a member of the Deaf community and a servant at the same time.”

Lerato lives by the principle that the more perspectives she gains on the world, the better service as an interpreter she can provide. This is also part of the reason why Lerato decided to take on the role of student again to study BA Language Practice to provide her with an even broader perspective on the field.

But why does Lerato feel so strongly about SASL? It is only through Sign Language, Lerato explains, that one can bridge the divide between the world of the hearing and that of the Deaf. “SASL is the only way for the minority Deaf group to receive and transfer information,” Lerato emphasises. “Deaf people cannot communicate in any other way.” Now, consider for a moment the plight of a Deaf child in South Africa. To receive education in SASL, most Deaf children have to move far away from home at a very young age in order to attend a school for the Deaf. For many years, schools for the Deaf did not include other languages as subjects, which prevented Deaf school-leavers from entering higher education. Although this situation has largely changed, Deaf students are still fighting an uphill battle when entering higher education institutions where prejudice and ignorance still persist. This is where the work of the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) and the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies makes such a crucial difference.

“I firmly believe,” Lerato says, “that only Sign Language can open opportunities for all groups of the Deaf community – from Deaf children to adults, and from the uneducated to the most educated Deaf people.” It is for this reason, Lerato argues, that our constitution needs to recognise SASL in order to give Deaf people full and equal access to information, to education, and ultimately, to all the opportunities South Africa has to offer.

News Archive

UFS team helps a pupil to hear again

2014-01-24

“I was scared at first. I could not remember the sound of my own voice. Being Deaf -it was like living on another planet.”

These are the words of the 18-year-old Andile (Godfrey) Jantjies after he heard sounds and words for the first time in almost 12 months.

Andile, a former pupil at the Albert Moroka School in Thaba Nchu, was the recipient of a cochlear implantation under the Bloemfontein Cochlear Implant Programme (BCIP) run by the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the University of the Free State.

Andile lost his hearing after contracting bacterial meningitis in June 2013. This resulted in bilateral profound deafness and despite his good academic record, his school refused to have him enrolled for 2014.

The cochlear implant was inserted in October 2013 and was switched on for the first time on Thursday 23 January 2014.

“I want to go back immediately,” Andile said excitedly after gradually becoming comfortable with hearing his own and other voices.

Dr Iain Butler from the Department of Otorhinolaryngology says cases like Andile’s are a medical emergencies due to the fact that meningitis causes the inner ear to become replaced by bone.

“This can occur after as little as four months after the infection and means that the insertion of a cochlear implant becomes impossible.

A cochlear implant system costs approximately R220 000.

It converts sounds/speech into electrical signals that directly stimulate the auditory nerve, bypassing the damaged inner ear. It is indicated for babies with congenital hearing loss, as well as acquired hearing loss in children or adults. It requires intensive rehabilitation in order to learn to hear again, and most recipients develop very good hearing. Andile now has the opportunity to hear again, continue his schooling and become an economically independent member of society, rather than being dependent on others.

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept