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#YouthMonth: Celebrating youth empowerment (Annelize Kruger)

09 June 2023 | Story Annelize Kruger | Photo Supplied

The University of the Free State (UFS) is celebrating Youth Month by showcasing the positive influence of the institution on career development. As part of this initiative, we are sharing the stories of UFS alumni who are now working at the university.

Annelize Kruger, Lecturer at the Department of Occupational Therapy, shares her UFS journey:

Q: Year of graduation from the UFS:

A: 2015 and 2020.

Q: Qualification obtained from the UFS:

A: Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy and Master of Science in Occupational Therapy.

Q: Date of joining the UFS as a staff member:

A: 2022.

Q: Initial job title and current job title:

A: Lecturer.

Q: How did the UFS prepare you for the professional world?

A: The UFS gave me the foundation to be competent in my profession, and the ability to think critically and apply myself in different contexts.

Q: What are your thoughts on transitioning from a UFS alumnus to a staff member?

A: It is an honour to train the future generation of occupational therapists, and exciting to be involved in research that drives our profession forward. It has been an overall positive experience.

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.

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