German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
Photo: UHH/Denstorf
17 October 2024
Photo: Wolfgang Schmidt
*31. Juli 1950 † 14. Oktober 2024
Liona Paulus und Annika Herrmann: Hello!
Liona Paulus: As you may have noticed, Wolfgang Schmidt passed away a few days ago, and we at the Institute of German Sign Language would like to pay tribute to his achievements, his enormous commitment and his work, and to express our deep respect for him. We would like to show two historical examples from the history of the Institute in which Wolfgang Schmidt, Siegmund Prillwitz, Alexander von Meyenn, Heiko Zienert and Regina Leven, who were also present at the founding of the Institute, were involved.
The first photo was taken at the first sign language congress in Hamburg in 1985. It was the first time that a congress on this subject was held in Germany. Wolfgang, Heiko and Alexander gave lectures in DGS at this congress, which was an absolute premiere in this form.
Annika Herrmann: The second example of Wolfgang's important work is the so-called “Golden Book”.
You may remember that this was the first book to describe German Sign Language. Wolfgang was involved in creating the content and it is a very important book that had a great influence. This description of DGS still has an impact on students and staff today. We would like to express our deepest appreciation to Wolfgang for this and a big thank you for the existence of the “Golden Book”.
Annika Herrmann: To the present day, students and staff have been positively influenced by Wolfgang's work and achievements, which is why we would like to say "thank you".
We will always remember you!
Both: Thanks, Wolfgang!