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08 September 2022 | Story Rulanzen Martin | Photo Rulanzen Martin
Bartimea school outreach
Annemarie Le Roux and two of the learners from the Bartimea School for the Deaf and Blind.

It was a perfect Spring Day with laughter, cupcakes, and the brightest smiles on excited little faces of learners from the Bartimea School for the Deaf and Blind in front of the Main Building of the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State (UFS). The UFS Department of Deaf Studies and South African Sign Language hosted the school on 1 September 2022 for a day of learning, fun, and lots of games to kickstart #DeafAwarenessMonth. 

The relationship between the department and the school is stronger than ever, and after a two-year hiatus both staff and learners were basking in the excitement of the day. The school faced closure back in 2016 and it was in this year that the department and the student group Signals started a project to visit the school, which saw them participate in different activities with the learners. “We helped the school with the cleaning up of the school grounds and painting the playgrounds,” said Annemarie Le Roux, South African Sign Language lecturer at the UFS. 

UFS could set blueprint for outreach to Deaf communities 

The department and the UFS are in a unique position to set a blueprint for engaged scholarship with the Bartimea school in Thaba ’Nchu and the Thiboloha School for the Deaf and Blind in Phuthaditjhaba (formerly Qwaqwa). 

The Bartimea outreach is an important project for the department because it not only enables the students to put their teachings into practice but also demonstrates the engaged scholarship mandate of the UFS. Le Roux believes more teachers should be able to use SASL in schools, and the UFS could facilitate such training opportunities. “It would be wonderful if the university and the school could work together in engaged teaching and learning.” She added that leaners at the two schools sometimes do not get all the information they need when applying to universities. 

Le Roux thinks the relationship between Bartimea and the department could enable meaningful action to foster engaged citizenship. “We can help with fundraising, because the school is always in need of funding, as most parents cannot contribute to helping the school.” 

Putting teaching excellence into practice

This engagement with Bartimea allows students to put what they have learned in lecture halls into practice. “Students who attend the visits to the school or the school to the university understand more about the culture, and want to learn more and develop their language skills,” Le Roux said. “Before the COVID-19 pandemic we took our third-year and honours students to the school to give them access to the Deaf community.” Furthermore, the engagement helps students gain a better understanding of Deaf culture and sign language.

Also visit our Deaf Awareness Month webpage for more information.  

 

News Archive

Springbok call-up tops Rhule’s dream season
2012-11-01

Raymond Rhule
Photo: Gallo Images
31 October 2012

We can add yet another name to our already impressive list of Springbok rugby players. Raymond Rhule has been included by Heyneke Meyer as one of five uncapped players for the Springboks’ upcoming European tour.

The nod from the selectors caps a tremendous year for the Ghanaian-born star. The former Technical High School Louis Botha pupil and current UFS student rose through the South African rugby ranks at a rate which can only be described as spectacular.

He was part of the Shimla team which competed in this year’s under-20 and senior Varsity Cups that culminated in inclusion in the victorious South African team at the under-20 World Cup.

Since then, he has been a fixture in the Free State Cheetah team in both the Vodacom Cup and the premier local rugby competition, the ABSA Currie Cup, gaining praise for his performance from the public and rugby experts along the way.

The 19-year-old wing has been the stand-out performer for a troubled Free State Cheetahs outfit, who had to see off the Eastern Province Kings in relegation playoffs to stay in the top division of the ABSA Currie Cup.

In an impressive season, Rhule scored eight tries, earning him the spot as the competition’s top try scorer.

Among a raft of awards, Rhule was announced as the UFS Junior Sportsman of the year for 2012 in October and has been nominated as the South African Rugby Union’s (Saru) Young Player of the Year.

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