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.
