QM News 67 (pdf 24347KB) - Queen Margaret University

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SIGN LANGUAGE BECOMES INTEGRAL PART OF
AUDIOLOGY COURSE
MAKING MUSIC
QMU is helping to fulfil an
important need within the NHS by
ensuring that audiology graduates
are able to use British Sign
Language.
It is thought that QMU is the only
institution in the UK which has
British Sign Language training as
an integral part of its Audiology
degree.
QMU’s forward thinking audiology
specialists believe that the move
will fulfil an urgent need within the
NHS and the deaf community.
Dr Ben Matthews, linguist within
the Speech and Hearing Sciences
department, stated:
“Approximately 62,000 people in
the UK use Sign Language as
their first or preferred language.
This is the UK’s fourth indigenous
language, with its own syntax and
vocabulary, fully capable of
expressing all of the same things
that can be expressed in any
spoken language.
“The people who use this
language can be seen as a
distinct linguistic and cultural
group, but few allied health
professionals are culturally aware
or linguistically able to function in
this ‘foreign’ environment.”
Many within the deaf community
experience alienation when
involved with the health services.
More often than not, practitioners
have to communicate with deaf
individuals by pushing written
notes back and forth across the
table. This is not only time
consuming and impersonal for
both parties, but often results in
miscommunication. In addition,
often the deaf community is not
given the opportunity to access
information via their first language
- British Sign Language.
QMU has therefore taken the bold
step to ensure that more
practitioners within the NHS are
better equipped to understand the
nature of communication with
deaf people.
Dr Matthews continued: “Deaf
people have, for centuries, been
sidelined in making decisions
about their community’s health
and education. The introduction
of deaf awareness training helps
QMU address a critical need and
also helps to bridge the
communication gap between
audiologists and the deaf
community.”
The audiology team at QMU is
working in partnership with
voluntary group, Deaf Action, and
the students will learn from a
visiting lecturer whose first
language is British Sign
Language.
The university is proud to be
Brian Marshall of Deaf Action.
leading the way in this type of
training and fulfilling a gap within
society which will ultimately
improve people’s lives.
Dr Matthews concluded: “It would
be a huge plus if our students
continued to develop their sign
language skills once in the NHS.
Bilingual practitioners would be a
great asset to the NHS, the
audiology profession and the deaf
community.”
... practitioners have to communicate with deaf
individuals by pushing written notes back and forth
across the table.
Kevin Geddes, Social Enterprise
Manager said, “We are pleased to
be involved in this pioneering
training for Audiology
undergraduates and feel that the
introduction of deaf awareness
and British Sign Language
training is essential to future
users of audiology services.”
Anyone who is interested in music
at QMU has been extremely lucky
over the last year to have
benefited from the skills of one
very accomplished musician.
Described by the Herald
newspaper as “a true champion of
Scottish music”, Rob MacKillop,
QMU’s Musician in Residence, is
making sweet music with staff
and students across the
institution.
A man with wide ranging musical
talents, and promoted by Celtic
World as one of Scotland’s finest
musicians, Rob brings a wealth of
expertise to the job. He’s
recorded seven CDs of historical
music, three of which reached the
number one position in the
Scottish Classic Music Chart; he’s
toured all over the world with
various bands, and can even lay
claim to a stint in a punk band
which had a record banned by
Radio 1 DJ John Peel! He has
also performed with traditional
musicians in Istanbul, Sami
musicians in the Arctic Circle, and
classical Japanese theatre
players in Tokyo.
Now settled with a family, Rob
has given up life on the road to
take up a more steady and
secure job at QMU.
His talents are enviable. He
seems to be able to play nearly
any instrument and is able to
accompany all of QMU’s solo
artists and groups.
As Musician in Residence, he has
formed QMusic, an initiative
which has seen him not only set
up a wide range of musical
groups but organise a number of
impressive concerts. QMusic has
brought together staff and
students from nearly every part of
the institution and has created the
Jazz-Blues Big Band, the
Accoustic Music Group, a
Renaissance/Medieval Ensemble,
a new Recorder Consort, a
Baroque ensemble, and a World
Music Group, to name but a few.
There seems to be no end to
Rob’s musical talents, his breadth
of musicality and his ability to
encourage even the shyest of
budding musicians to inch their
way out of their comfort zone.
Rob explained: “No matter what
people perceive their level to be,
there will always be a place for
them in one of our groups. We
even have complete beginners
playing alongside people who
haven’t done anything musically
for over 20 years!
“QMusic now hosts two main
concerts each year. These are a
great way to showcase the
ensembles. It’s wonderful to see
students side by side with staff in
these groups.
“Getting involved with QMusic is
not only a great way to relax and
get involved in something outside
work and study, it’s proving to be
a wonderful way to socialise with
people from different parts of the
institution,” said Rob.
However, since moving to the
new campus, Rob is now on a
mission to involve people from
the local community in QMusic.
“We intend to put on monthly
concerts with visiting performers.
It has always been our intention
to be a university at the heart of
our new community and we are
keen to encourage local residents
to take part in our groups. We
also really need volunteers who
can assist with front of house,
ticket collection, ushering, poster
design, behind the scene
organisation and finance.”
FIND OUT MORE:
www.qmusiconline.co.uk
• QMusic
Bloghttp://qmusicblog.blogspot.
com /index.html
• Contact: Rob MacKillop at
music@qmu.ac.uk
• Rob's own website:
www.rmguitar.info