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By Levy Masiteng
The University of Cape Town (UCT) recently launched a pilot project to make its National Benchmark Test (NBT) website accessible in South African Sign Language (SASL), marking a historic first for the country’s higher education sector.
According to the university, this is a significant step towards inclusion and accessibility which aligns with its Vision 2030 commitment to transformation.
The university is already collaborating with the Cape Town Deaf Community on SASL training for frontline staff in various departments, including libraries, residences, traffic services and visitor centres.
The initiative is being led by UCT’s SASL interpreter, Michelle de Bruyn.
“I recognised that while there was plenty of written information on the NBT website, there was almost nothing accessible to deaf users who use SASL – a language that, importantly, has no written form,” she said.
Through collaboration with various UCT departments, including the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching’s One Button Studio team, De Bruyn and her team produced SASL videos for the website.
“We first identified standard introductory information that wouldn’t change for at least three to five years. Then I began interpreting those pages, recorded the content, checked it for accuracy, and worked with One Button Studio to film and produce the final product. All without any cost to the university, thanks to their willingness to support this pilot,” De Bruyn said.
This is the first time that a tertiary institution in South Africa has made a website fully accessible in SASL.
In partnership with UCT Libraries, De Bruyn and the Disability Service have also created SASL-interpreted informational videos about the NBT available in SASL, English, isiXhosa and Afrikaans.
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