IDGS
Institute of
German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
Great interest in taster course in German Sign Language for Deutschlandstipendium scholarship holders
14 November 2024, by Pamela Sundhausen
Photo: UHH/Geschäftsstelle Deutschlandstipendien
Around 200,000 people in Germany speak German Sign Language (DGS), including around 80,000 deaf people (source: Bundesfachstelle Barrierefreiheit). The Institute of German Sign Language recently offered a taster course for the second time especially for those receiving the Deutschlandstipendium Scholarship - and the interest was once again overwhelming.
Research assistants Britta Harms and Alexander Eisenzimmer led the two-hour workshop, supported by state-certified sign language interpreters Jutta Feuerle and Michaela Matthaei. The participants were given an introduction to the basics and structure of DGS, practiced their first signs and learned how to communicate non-verbally - without using their voices. An interactive quiz and numerous questions from the audience made the workshop a lively and varied experience. The participants also gained exciting insights into the everyday life of the deaf community. One key insight was that spoken language often comes with a lot of “ extras” and accessories, whereas signing often gets straight to the point. In addition, gestures can often be used to tell a story more vividly, as facial expressions and gestures can work simultaneously in three-dimensional space, whereas spoken words have to follow one after the other. The successful evening ended with a relaxed get-together.
The Deutschlandstipendium team would like to sincerely thank the four workshop donors for their time and commitment!
The University of Hamburg currently supports 280 students with the Deutschlandstipendium scholarship. The excellence scholarship of 300 euros per month is funded in equal parts by the federal government/the state of Hamburg and non-governmental sponsors. If you have any questions about the scholarship program, please contact Dr. Andrea Schultze, head of the Deutschlandstipendien office, via e-mail at andrea.schultze"AT"uni-hamburg.de.
Contribution from the news channel Deutschlandstipendium
