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Donovan Wright: ‘Teaching South African Sign Language is my great passion’

23 September 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin

Donovan Wright recently joined the University of the Free State (UFS) as a lecturer in the Department of South African Sign Language (SASL) and Deaf Studies. As a passionate young academic, Wright ‘found his love’ for SASL during his undergraduate years at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

In 2016, for the fulfilment of his master’s degree at Wits, Wright completed a thesis titled ‘A preliminary description of South African Sign Language syntax’. He is currently pursuing his PhD at Wits, and his research interests lie in the linguistics of SASL, which became his focus during his postgraduate studies. In his PhD research he focuses on (particular) constructions within SASL and how to best describe and analyse them. “I chose to use an approach to language and grammar not tied to how we perceive and understand spoken languages,” he says.

‘Teaching SASL is my great passion’

His appointment as a SASL lecturer at the UFS is a fulfilment of his passion for teaching. “Sign languages are commonly misunderstood and thought to be pantomime or gesture,” he says. “These common misconceptions are the first topic we tackle – whether by linguistic or social argument.” As a SASL linguistics lecturer he says it’s this aspect of the modules that is so rewarding, especially “seeing students realise something new about a sign they already know and have been using. Learning about language while learning a language has its benefits.”

Empowering students is about access

Wright says access to education is a fundamental right for every student, and that empowering Deaf scholars will ultimately improve how Deaf students access information at universities and elsewhere. “While many students attend university and access their education in a language that is not their mother tongue, Deaf students using SASL are additionally learning across modalities.”

September is designated as Deaf Awareness Month, with one important aim being to highlight and improve sign language education. The Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies has planned numerous events and initiatives during this month, which will raise awareness and provide community education by visiting schools.

“The next step is ensuring an environment in which Deaf students who choose to pursue a career in academia are not hindered. Our Deaf students are our future Deaf academics,” Wright says.

• Members of the Department of South African Sign Language and Deaf Studies will, among other planned events, provide community interpreting services and visit schools in surrounding areas. This year the department is launching a university ‘Deaf Space’ where students, staff, or anyone wishing to engage in SASL can interact, provided you ‘leave your voice at the door’.

News Archive

Achieve academic goals with an online presence

2016-11-02

Description: Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 Tags: Academic Reboot Pack 2.0

The Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 of the
University of the Free State introduces
an online academic approach to help
students complete the 2016 academic
year.
Photo: iStock

With the recent break in the academic activities at most of the countries’ universities, higher education managers are pressured to come up with ways of completing the rest of the 2016 academic year.

An approach introduced by the University of the Free State (UFS), is the use of online learning platforms.

For the remainder of the year, students will be required to do the majority of their work online. To support students during this time, the UFS has created an Academic Reboot Pack 2.0, which included #8 Habits of Highly successful online students.

Stay informed and prioritise your work

Make the online environment the top priority in your daily schedules. Be extra vigilant in your studies and use online learning platforms such as Blackboard to check your modules for new announcements and academic information.

You will also need to prioritise between important and less important tasks. This will give you an indication as to which tasks to focus on first.

Optimise your environment and work until you achieve goals

You need to optimise your study environment in a space where you can be productive and study efficiently. Continue working until you have achieved your goals, but also remember to reward yourself when you have reached them.

Staying organised

Remember, you need to stay organised and declutter your environment. It will be best to create a filing system for your paper-based notes, as well as the electronic files on your computer.

Get study buddies and keep a healthy body and mind

Get study buddies as this provides a good opportunity to share knowledge. If you are not sure about something, contact your lecturers via email or on their office numbers.

Lastly, keep a healthy body and mind because you will need to keep going a little longer than anticipated this year.

Get your copy of the Academic Reboot Pack 2.0 on Blackboard under announcements or click here to download it.

Also see the first Academic Reboot Pack.

If students have any question or queries regarding the Academic Reboot Pack 2.0, they can send an email to: advising@ufs.ac.za

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