Report - 2007
National Institute for Deaf Studies
Brief Introduction
In 2007 the National Institute for Deaf Studies (NIDS_ became an organisation within its own right within the Division of Allied Health thus leading to greater cooperation with other units in that Division. NIDS has worked on the development of a full undergraduate degree program to fit in with the new curriculum and degree structure changes taking place within the Faculty.
Key developments in Teaching and Clinical Education
There have been 2 main developments throughout 2007 as follows:
- The proposal for an undergraduate/Masters program in Deaf Education in line with the Faculty’s core curriculum and generic skills reorganisation; and
- offering of Auslan as an elective to different groups of students in Health Sciences in particular physiotherapy and occupational therapy to provide students with the language and cultural skills to work with Deaf clients.
Key Developments in Research
Research continued and was submitted for publication into comparative epistemologies of Deaf and hearing cultures and the role of religious ideologies in the structuring and practice of prejudice.
Other staff continued research in the area of Deaf History, collecting oral history of one of the earliest school for the Deaf in Australia and the sociolinguistic origins of name signs.
Key Developments in Community Service
- Anne Bremner wrote for Victorian Deaf Society Community News regularly
- NIDS continued to work with Department of Education on Teacher retraining and the Development of student and teacher materials for Auslan in schools from p-10 and at the VCE level.
Key Developments in International Activities
Professor Branson was appointed to the Board of an International Journal in Disabilities based in Thailand and was appointed as Project evaluator for a significant project in Thailand funded by Thai Ministry of Education on Bi-Lingual Approach to Deaf Children.