News

First user of British Sign Language on university academic planning body

(8 March 2005)

British Sign Language Teaching Fellow Judith Collins, a member of the Senate of Durham University, is believed to be the first BSL user to be a member of the highest formal academic planning body of a university.

Judith, who is Deaf and a native user of BSL and has Deaf parents, has been elected to a three-year term on Senate as one of the representatives of academic staff of the university and serves on the Academic Electoral Assembly Committee. Senate meets six times a year to determine many issues and policies relating to the teaching and learning work of the university, covering such key topics as admissions, degree programmes, exams and other areas of the student experience.

Senate proceedings are interpreted by BSL/English interpreters, one of whom is Anna Gehrke, a colleague in the Language Centre.

Judith has been a teacher and researcher at Durham University for 14 years. She began as a teaching fellow at the University of Durham in the Deaf Studies Research Unit (then part of the Department of Sociology and Social Policy). She was member of the team that produced the first BSL/English Dictionary. She is now a member of staff in the Language Centre and the School of Linguistics and Language, teaching BSL undergraduate modules. She also co-ordinates and contributes to teaching a BSL/English interpreter programme.

Judith commented: “I am very pleased that BSL is now visible in a Senate chamber for the first time in the UK. I am proud to be involved in this development. I feel it is important that the views of a BSL user and member of the Deaf sign community are influencing and helping to shape the academic development of the University. I am proud that the Senate of my University has taken the step of accepting BSL/English interpreters to its proceedings.”

Her research interests include the translation into BSL of assessments for Deaf children, and the provision of interpreter services in the UK. She is a representative on the executive of the Association of Sign Language Interpreters (ASLI) for the ASLI Deaf Interpreters Network, and is Patron of the Deaf Women's Health Organisation.

Vice-Chancellor Sir Kenneth Calman, who chairs Senate, said: “It is entirely right that Senate should reflect and represent the academic community as widely as possible, and I am pleased that Judith Collins is involved in the proceedings.”

Contact Email: j.m.collins@durham.ac.uk Text: +44 (0)191 334 3014 Fax: +44 (0)191 334 2231