Showing posts with label centre for deaf studies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label centre for deaf studies. Show all posts

Friday, January 29, 2010

SIGNALLING change: Innovation in Delivering Deaf Studies in Europe





Centre for Deaf Studies,
School of Linguistics, Speech and Communication Sciences,
University of Dublin, Trinity College


Public Lecture Series 2009/10


SIGNALLING change:
Innovation in Delivering Deaf Studies in Europe

Dr. Lorraine Leeson (CDS)
and
Mr. Haaris Sheikh
(Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited)

Thursday, February 4th, 2010.

7.30 pm to 9.30 pm


Maxwell Hall, Hamilton Buildings, Trinity College.

ISL / English Interpretation will be provided.

Abstract
This presentation discusses the outcomes of a European Commission funded project, which brought together industry, academics and practitioners in an innovative project to create an international forum of learning through a Bachelor Degree in Deaf Studies. SIGNALL II builds on the successes of SIGNALL I (a Leonardo da Vinci project) from 2007-10. SIGNALL II is promoted by Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited, partnered with the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), Irish Deaf Society (Ireland), Finnish Association of the Deaf (Finland), University of Sussex (UK), the Foundation for the Promotion of Entrepreneurship, Lodz, (Poland) and Grant Advisor, Brno (Czech Republic). The theoretical content for the ‘Perspectives on Deafness’ (POD) course was created by the Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) at Trinity College Dublin (under SIF II) and forms part of the Bachelor in Deaf Studies. CDS has actively engaged in the development of digital learning assets to support traditional delivery of programmes.

POD was traditionally delivered within the Irish context. Now, via SIGNALL II, a European perspective is added, allowing for the exploration of shared - and differing - experiences of Deafhood (Ladd 2003) across Europe as well as notions of d/Deafness as a medical, social, cultural, and historical construct. Particular focus is given to the Czech, Finnish, Polish and British perspectives. Human rights issues are also explored in this wide reaching course. In this session we outline the background to the development of this course, describing the rationale, content, creation of multi-modal digital assets in nine languages - 4 spoken and 5 signed languages, the nature of international involvement and the challenges to creating a repository of digital courseware that will be accessible and relevant to Deaf and hearing students and employers across the European Union, and beyond. We will demonstrate some sample content presented on a Moodle platform customised by the Department of Informatics at the Institute of Technology Blanchardstown (ITB).


Biographies
Dr. Lorraine Leeson is the Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She has 20 years experience working with Deaf communities in a range of capacities at national and European levels. She was one of the first professionally trained ISL/English Interpreters in Ireland and holds a PhD in theoretical linguistics. Lorraine has practised interpreting locally and internationally, with her work taking her from local tertiary educational environments and legal contexts to the national theatre of Ireland, the European Institutions and the United Nations. A highlight has been working for the European Union of the Deaf. Lorraine’s research interests relate to the morphosyntax of signed languages, the sociolinguistics of ISL, and interpreting studies, with over 70 peer reviewed publications and presentations to date. In recent years, a key area of focus has been on the teaching, learning and assessment of signed languages and sign language interpreters, with particular attention to blended learning environments. This has led to a large-scale government funded project (SIF II – Deaf Studies in Ireland) to develop accessible blended learning content for a Bachelor in Deaf Studies at Trinity College, as well as European Union funded project work on a range of Deaf studies and sign language elearning projects (D-Signs, SIGNALL II, SIGNALL 3, and DeafVoc).


Mr. Haaris Sheikh is Chief Executive of Interesource Group (Ireland) Limited. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), an Associate Member of the Institute of Management Consultants and Advisers (IMCA). He serves as a Board Member of the Deaf Community Centre Limerick and of the Citizens Information Centre Limerick. He has directed and chaired 7 European Commission projects in over 15 countries to date. Currently, he is Chairman of the SIGNALL II Project (2007-2019) and SIGNALL 3 project (2009-2011). Haaris is a specialist in human resource management, business strategy, and policy. He has delivered lectures on a wide range of HR-related themes. He has been working extensively with Deaf studies projects for the past few years and has been involved in multimedia/digitisation of teaching materials for the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. He has authored/co-authored numerous reports and journal articles, and has presented papers internationally on a range of topics. He has also directed 6 international DVD documentaries.

Directions to reach the Maxwell Hall



  • The Maxwell Hall is in the Hamilton Buildings, back of Trinity College

  • Entrance can be gained through four gates: Front Gate, Nassau Street, Lincoln Place and Pearse Street.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Two new halftime posts in Centre for Deaf Studies, Dublin

Please find attached details regarding 2 half time posts for CDS, linked to the roll out of our new Bachelor in Deaf Studies programme, which will be launched in September 2009.


Warm wishes,


Lorraine Leeson





Job & Person Specification

Post Specification



Post Title:
Lectureship in Deaf Studies (2 x half time posts)

Post Status:
Fixed term contract – 3 years

Department/Faculty:
Centre for Deaf Studies, School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences

Location:
Adjacent to main campus

Closing Date:
30 July 2009

Salary Range:
Lecturer scale up to point 3 pro-rata (€19,139pa - €21,617pa)




The Centre for Deaf Studies in the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences’ seeks to make two half-time appointments as part of the implementation of the College’s and School’s strategic plans, including the roll-out of a Bachelor in Deaf Studies.



The Centre is seeking to appoint qualified applicants for the following roles:

(1) ISL AND pedagogy/Deaf studies/interpreting studies/applied linguistics.

(2) ISL/English interpreting AND pedagogy/Deaf studies/applied linguistics.



Background to the Posts: These posts are being rolled out to facilitate delivery of the newly established Bachelor in Deaf Studies programme. This four year degree programme sits at the heart of the Deaf Studies Strategic Innovation Funded (Cycle II) (SIF II) project work, funded by the Higher Education Authority. SIF II funding has been secured for a three-year period (2008-2011) to develop a third level Diploma and Degree programme for blended learning delivery nationwide in a project developed by the Centre for Deaf Studies, TCD and the Department of Informatics, Institute of Technology Blanchardstown.


Standard duties of the Post: Successful candidates will be appointed as Lecturers in Deaf Studies, with a special remit for teaching either (i) ISL teaching or (ii) ISL/English interpreting AND aspects of the curriculum in the areas of pedagogy, Deaf studies or applied linguistics (depending on the successful candidates’ specialisms). The successful candidates will be expected to conduct research aligned to the goals of the Centre for Deaf Studies and to carry out administrative duties as required.



Person Specification: We are looking for a enthusiastic, self-motivated individuals with excellent communication and administrative skills to join a dynamic growing team of educators, linguists and technologists. The candidates must hold an undergraduate qualification in ISL teaching or ISL/English interpreting, AND have the qualifications/experience to also deliver courses in pedagogy or applied linguistics or Deaf Studies. Preference will be given to candidates who hold a post-graduate qualification in a cognate field (e.g. Applied Linguistics, Intercultural Studies, Anthropology, Education, etc.). Recent graduates of postgraduate programmes with appropriate profiles are encouraged to apply.



Knowledge & Experience : Candidates should have one to three years experience of teaching ISL or ISL/English interpreting at a higher education institute. They should also have experience or demonstrated capacity to teach in a cognate domain (applied linguistics, pedagogy or Deaf studies) to Bachelor level. The ideal candidates will have strong links to the Deaf community, be fluent ISL users and have an established track record of working with/in the Deaf community. Candidates should also ideally have a publication record or show demonstrated capacity for developing a research profile in their area of research and be willing to contribute to the development of the discipline of Deaf studies nationally, and committed to working in a close knit team to meet the objectives of the Centre for Deaf Studies.



The appointment, which will be tenable from 20 September 2009, will be appointed on the Lecturer’s salary scale (pro-rata).



Closing date: no later than 12 noon on: 30 July 2009



For further information or a confidential discussion please contact Dr. Lorraine Leeson (leesonl@tcd.ie).



It is intended to hold interviews and presentations in the second week of August 2009.



Candidates should submit a letter of application together with a full CV and a sample publication and/or a Research Plan to Recruitment Executive, Staff Office, Trinity College, Dublin 2.



Trinity College Dublin is an Equal Opportunities Employer.





BACKGROUND INFORMATION

The Centre for Deaf Studies (CDS) is part of the School of Linguistic, Speech and Communication Sciences (SLSCS). Other constituent members of the School are the Centre for Language and Communication Studies (CLCS) and the Department of Clinical Speech and Language Studies (CSLS). The Centre for Deaf Studies was established in 2001 to develop and roll-out undergraduate programmes in Deaf Studies, ISL/English interpreting and ISL teaching. From 2009, a Bachelor in Deaf Studies will be introduced and the Diplomas in ISL/English interpreting and ISL teaching will be phased out. The CDS is the only university based programme offering Deaf Studies on the island of Ireland. CDS has established a very strong international profile and has contributed to several European funded projects, including the award winning SIGNALL project.



CDS academic staff have contributed to a growing body of literature on Deaf studies, interpreting studies, linguistics and applied linguistics and are committed to the development of blended learning opportunities that enhance access to information about Deaf communities via new technologies. An important part of this work is funded by the Strategic Innovation Fund Cycle II (SIF II), whereby CDS works in close partnership with the Department of Informatics at the Institute for Technology, Blanchardstown.



Currently, CDS has four full time academics: Dr. Lorraine Leeson, Mr. John Bosco Conama, Ms. Carmel Grehan and Mr. Patrick A. Matthews. There are additionally three doctoral students associated with CDS, two of whom are SIF II funded (2009-12). Both SIF funded doctoral candidates also contribute to teaching at CDS.



In terms of student numbers, CDS projects an annual student intake of 20 per year onto the Bachelor in Deaf Studies.






Trinity College Dublin


Trinity College, the single constituent college of the University of Dublin, was founded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1592, and so celebrated its first Quatercentenary in 1992. It is the oldest university in Ireland and one of the older universities of Western Europe. Based on the general pattern of the ancient colleges at Oxford and Cambridge, Trinity has a main campus extending over 40 acres in a unique site in the heart of the city. Trinity College Dublin is the highest-ranking Irish university to feature in the top 200 universities in the Times Higher Education Supplement’s world university rankings published in 2004. The College was ranked 87th in the world.

Most academic activity is concentrated in the main college campus. However, recent developments have allowed expansion of the Health Sciences Faculty in two major off-campus locations – a purpose built facility in the largest teaching hospital in Ireland, at St. James’s Hospital, and another in a newly-completed regional general hospital in the Dublin suburbs at Tallaght.

The vigour of any university must be judged by its commitment to research. In the early twenty first century, this often takes the form of partnership with major international companies or of inter-institutional co-operation within the framework of programmes of the European community, and in both Trinity is in a leading position in Ireland. In 2002/03, TCD was highly successful in securing research income, earning €47.4m (an increase from €39.2m in the previous academic year). In February 2005 TCD announced the commencement of construction of Ireland’s first purpose-built nanoscience research institute, The Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN). This €29m development will house 150 scientists, technicians and graduate students in a state of the art facility is due be completed by the end of 2006.

In other fields, the Library is the heart of research activity, and here Trinity is particularly fortunate.

With a bookstock of over 4 million volumes the College Library is one of the largest in Europe.

It benefited from a major €20m expansion of its open-access book-stacks and reading space

with the opening of the Ussher Library in 2003. Along with the British Library in London and

the university libraries at Oxford and Cambridge, Trinity College Library enjoys the privilege of

receiving all Irish and U.K. copyright material.


The University is controlled by an academic board, chaired by the Provost. Academic matters

are under the control of the University Council, again chaired by the Provost.

There are three faculties and some twenty-four academic schools.


The Selection Process in Trinity
§ The Nominating Committee (Interview Panel) will include members of the Administrative and Academic community together with an External Assessor who is an expert in the area.

§ Applications are acknowledged in writing. All applications will be acknowledged by email. If no email address is provided then a Letter issue within 3 days of the closing date. If you do not have confirmation of receipt within 1 week please get in touch with us immediately.

§ Given the degree of co-ordination and planning to have a Nominating Committee available on the specified date, the College regrets that it may not be in a position to offer alternate selection dates. Where candidates are unavailable, reserves will be drawn from a shortlist.

§ Outcomes of interviews are notified in writing to candidates and are issued no later than 3 working days following the selection day. Feedback is available to unsuccessful candidates upon request through the Recruitment Section only when the appointment process has been completed.

§ Candidates from outside Dublin will be eligible for reimbursement of their travel (rail, taxi, economy airfares) and expenses incurred when attending for selection. The Revenue rules preclude us from reimbursing for Mileage and Travel Insurance. Accommodation can be arranged through our recruitment section. The College will normally cover an overnight stay on a single occupancy basis for candidates traveling within Europe. Should you be attending presentation on day 1 and interview on day two, we are then happy to cover both nights. Those traveling long-haul will be covered for a maximum of 3 nights.

§ In some instances the Nominating Committee may avail of telephone or video conferencing for preliminary candidate interviews.


§ The College’s selection methods may consist of any or all of the following:
§ Interviews
§ Presentations
§ Pyschometric Testing
§ References


§ It is the policy of the College to conduct pre-employment medicals.

§ Senior Administrative appointments have a probationary period of one year.











Equal Opportunities Policy

Trinity College Dublin is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the employment policies, procedures and practices which do not discriminate on grounds such as gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, race, religious belief, sexual orientation or membership of the travelling community.





Applications to:

Recruitment Executive
Staff Office
Trinity College
Dublin 2




Tel: +353-1-896-

Fax: +353-1-677-2694

Email:









Dr. Lorraine Leeson
Director
Centre for Deaf Studies
School of Linguistic, Speech & Communication Sciences (CLSCS)
Trinity College Dublin
40 Lower Drumcondra Road
Drumcondra
Dublin 9
Ireland


Tel: +353 (0) 1 830 11 66

Friday, March 27, 2009

Public Lecture 30 April: “Deaf people and Cities in terms of Social Identity"

Centre for Deaf Studies
School of Linguistics, Speech and Communication Sciences,
Trinity College Dublin

Public Lecture


“Deaf people and Cities in terms of Social Identity”

presented by
Ms Gill Harold
Doctoral Student, UCC

Thursday 30th April
7 pm to 9 pm
Ui Chadhain Theatre, Room 2041B, Trinity College Dublin

‘Are Deaf people granted the right to a city without sound?’1

Through examining performances of identity in workplaces and spaces of leisure from the Deaf perspective, the paper aims to uncover how Deaf-friendly city spaces really are, and ultimately to promote dialogue between ideas propounded in Deaf Studies and geography, which have much in common, and much to offer each other. Overall, such a discussion seeks to evolve contemporary debates around equity of access to urban spaces for all citizens.

Interpretation will be provided

Thursday, December 4, 2008




Deputy Joe Costello: This matter aims to ensure the important Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College does not lose the minimal education grant it has at present. We are concerned that yet another institution dealing with a vulnerable minority is targeted by cuts in education. The Centre for Deaf Studies is based in Trinity College and funded by the HEA. It is concerned that its funding for 2009 will be cut. It already operates on a shoestring budget of €440,000 and it cannot afford any cutbacks. It had to locate most of its activities in Drumcondra because it must pay rent in Trinity College and most of its staff now works in Drumcondra. This is a difficult situation.

For more on this go to http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20081127.xml&Node=H17-2#H17-2