German Sign Language and
Communication of the Deaf
Photo: UHH/Denstorf
26 November 2019
Photo: Stefan Goldschmidt
On November 18 and 19, 2019, Jeffrey S. Bravin, Director of the American Deaf School (ASD) in Hartford/Connecticut (U.S.A.), visited Hamburg and gave a lecture at the University of Hamburg.
He visited us as part of a round trip that took him across three continents. After he had visited several countries in Asia on a business trip, including Taiwan and Japan, he stopped by in Hamburg on his way back. The idea to visit Hamburg was the result of his contact to Stefan Goldschmidt, who both knew each other from earlier times. Jeff Bravin also visited the Hamburg School for the Deaf "Elbschule" to exchange experiences with the school management and to visit the school.
The evening lecture "The American School for the Deaf: A Global Gateway to Deaf Education" at the Universität Hamburg was organized by the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Humanities and the Elbschule in cooperation with the Deaf Association of Hamburg e.V. and took place in the Rechtshaus of the University of Hamburg. The event was interpreted from American Sign Language (ASL) into English and into German Sign Language (DGS) by two deaf interpreters.
It was well attended. Jeff Bravin told impressively from his biography about his growing up in a family that had been deaf for several generations. He reported in detail about his work as director of the ASD and the situation of the school in the US-American education system and answered many questions from the audience. It was very interesting, even exciting.
Afterwards there was a champagne reception.