Latest News Archive

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

Belinda Janeke receives Dean’s Medal in EMS

11 May 2022 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath

Belinda Janeke is the proud recipient of the Dean’s Medal for best honours student in Industrial Psychology in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS), which was awarded during the recent April graduation ceremonies. Janeke, a career adviser specialising in career services with a focus on career development and work-readiness programmes, is currently studying for a master’s in Industrial Psychology, with a view to becoming a registered industrial psychologist.

“The Dean’s Medal was a huge surprise and shock, and I couldn’t have done it without the amazing lecturers I had,” says Janeke. “They have done so much to engage with us, teach us, and help us with online teaching in 2020 and 2021.”

Janeke began her career as an orientation officer at the University of the Free State (UFS) in 2009 and was promoted to advising and lecturing before being appointed as Head: Career Services (Student Affairs) in 2013, a position she currently holds.

“I really enjoyed my studies; I could live my passion and apply the work experience I gained over time as well. It is just a super blessing from Above; only by God’s grace that this happened,” explains Janeke.

News Archive

Deaf Awareness Month empowers the hearing impaired

2015-09-21

There are more sign languages in the world than spoken languages. About 600 000 deaf South Africans have the South African Sign Language (SASL) as their first language. There are about 40 schools for the deaf in South Africa. 90% of all deaf children are born to hearing parents. Only about 30% of speech is visible on the lips.

How many of these fundamental facts did you know?

Deaf Awareness Month serves to educate hearing communities about issues that the deaf population face on a daily basis, as well as to honour the history and culture of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. For the past 70 years, the University of the Free State (UFS) has dedicated September to hosting events around the topic of hearing impairment.

The theme of ‘With South African Sign Language rights, our children can!’

This year’s theme had learners from Bartimea School for the Deaf and Blind, hearing impaired UFS students, and Prof Jonathan Jansen engaged in a conversation around empowerment at a picnic held on Monday 7 September 2015 at the Red Square on the Bloemfontein Campus.

Through a sign language interpreter, Matshela, a grade 12 learner, explained that he felt empowered by the efforts the university has made to embrace and empower individuals with disabilities. He then revealed his intentions of pursuing Information Technology or Social Work studies at Kovsies.

Clifford Machete, a first-year Administration student at the university, stated how sign language interpreters gave him an ‘I can’ attitude when he first arrived at university. “As a deaf person, I see that I am able to learn with the help of sign language interpreters. There is accessibility at the university, and I am so proud to be a student here and part of Deaf Awareness Month.”

Susan Lombaard, Lecturer and Acting Chairperson at the Department of South African Sign Language, believes that Deaf Awareness Month is about promoting human dignity.

“We want to show the world that deaf people can do everything, and that their language is as strong and important as any spoken language.”

For more information regarding Deaf Awareness Month activities, contact the South African Sign Language Department on 051 401 2251.

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