Dr Herkulaas Combrink, Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Digital Futures (ICDF) at the University of the Free State (UFS), has received a landmark R5 million grant from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). The funding will enable him to develop cutting-edge technologies that ensure Deaf communities are fully included in South Africa’s digital future.
The project, Inclusive Artificial Intelligence: Building Capacity and Technology for South African Sign Language Innovation, Translation, and Training, addresses a pressing challenge. According to Dr Combrink, “very little technology or public data exists for South African Sign Language (SASL), and Deaf communities are often excluded from digital communication innovation. Therefore, this project makes it possible to create tools, training programmes, and resources that can change this”.
Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies at the UFS, emphasises the transformative potential of the work. “Research is about more than discovery; it’s about creating technologies that truly serve humanity. Supporting sign language with innovation is a meaningful step towards equity and inclusion in our society.”
Tools that will change lives
One of the first projects under this initiative is a SASL medical terminology guide. It will serve as a visual toolkit for patients who have lost the ability to speak, enabling them to communicate their critical needs and symptoms to health-care professionals.
Over the next three years, Dr Combrink and his team will also develop SASL-to-English and Setswana translation models, as well as a South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA)-accredited training programme to build the next generation of SASL human language technology specialists. Each of these deliverables is designed not just to advance technology, but also to open doors for Deaf South Africans in digital spaces where they were previously excluded.
Collaboration at the heart of innovation
Dr Combrink stresses that the project’s success depends on collaboration. He plans to work closely with Deaf communities, scholars, and institutions such as the Academy for Multilingualism at the UFS, the University of Pretoria (UP), and the National Institute for the Deaf (NID). Together, they will build tools, training programmes, and models that reflect the real needs of the communities they serve.
Dr Combrink explained that for him, this was about more than technology. He indicated that it was about creating inclusive digital solutions that recognise the rights, voices, and potential of Deaf people, and with this grant, that vision can become a reality.