Journal Articles

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    Ugandan sign language interpretation services for learners with hearing impairment in inclusive secondary schools in Uganda: challenges and successes
    (SpringerLink, 2023-02) Julius, Patrick Omugur
    The study aimed at establishing the provision of sign language interpretation services for learners who are deaf and/or hard of hearing in an inclusive secondary school that practices the policy of inclusive education in Uganda. This chapter assesses the work of sign language interpreters and the challenges they encounter during indoor and outdoor interpreting activities in an inclusive regular secondary school. Interpreters are believed to work closely with the teachers teaching in the school for learners with hearing impairment. Method: This chapter adopted a qualitative case study design, identifying six teachers and six sign language interpreters through purposive sampling. Data collection instruments were interview, observation, and focus group discussions. Results: Implementation of universal secondary education (USE) has had less impact on the teaching and learning of students with hearing impairment in secondary schools in Uganda. Findings of a communication disparity in such an inclusive environment are not conclusive enough to explain the challenges and successes investigated. Challenges appear to be rooted in the interpreters’ level of qualification, from the learners with hearing impairments, from the teachers and school administration, as well as resulting from environmental and contextual factors. Educational and cultural diversity also have an influence. Discussion: There is a need to develop a healthy inclusive school working environment. Further training for sign language interpreters, and awareness campaigns to support the work of sign language interpreters in educational settings is still wanting.
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    Ethical and methodological responses to risks in fieldwork with deaf Ugandans
    (Taylor&Francis: Contemporary Social Science; Journal of the Academy of Social Sciences, 2017-07-12) De Clerck, Goedele A. M.; Lutalo-Kiingi, Sam
    While members of marginalised communities may be motivated to participate in ethnographic research by the desire to have their stories ‘heard’/seen, find a place in history and transmit their legacy, telling and publishing these stories may also put them and the researchers at risk. This paper discusses the ethical and methodological dilemmas inherent in studies on the Ugandan deaf community’s emancipation and sustainability. A first risk factor resides in the country’s political situation, strategy planning, financial management and pressures on democracy and human rights. Other risk factors are power hierarchies and questionable ideologies on the status of Ugandan Sign Language (UgSL) (factor 2) and the sometimes-scant attention to ethics in development partnerships (factor 3). These risks directly and indirectly enter the research space, for example, when participants warn that their own and the researcher’s safety could be compromised if certain information is divulged, resulting in social isolation, loss of income, and even threats to life and limb. Information sharing, transparency in partnerships, and attention to the status of UgSL are keys in the circumvention of these risks. The ‘ritual dance’ metaphor illuminates the constant and intricate balancing of academic responsibility, the well-being of the community, and the interests of the other players.