Postdoctoral Scholar Sam Lutalo-Kiingi of the Kyambogo University research team in Uganda presents the research project on sustainable development of the Ugandan sign language community (international sign):

"Welcome to Kyambogo University in Uganda.  I am Sam Lutalo-Kiingi, Ugandan Sign Language Lecturer at the Department of Special Needs Studies (Deaf Education section). I teach both undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate course including the target groups such as Uganda Sign Language Interpreters, community development workers and grade three special needs education teachers.  I work alongside my deaf colleague, Bonnie Busingye.

On-going research cooperation between Ghent University in Belgium and Kyambogo University in Uganda focuses on Sustainable Development of the Ugandan Deaf Community. The project covers documentation of the impact of 14 years of development cooperation between the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) and the Danish Deaf Association (DDL). This partnership included Ugandan Sign Language training and interpreting, leadership training, advocacy of sign language rights, and Ugandan Sign Language research.

Deaf awareness training and Ugandan sign language rights sensitization was provided in 5 regions and Ugandan Sign Language instructor trainings, research and information dissemination across the country were done.  The Ugandan Sign Language interpreter training course at Kyambogo started in 2002 and has since been implemented in the faculty, followed by a corpus-based production of the Uganda Sign Language dictionary in 2006.

Uganda Sign Language research at Kyambogo University has continued and the Uganda National Association of the Deaf (UNAD) has so far registered tremendous progress in her Ugandan Sign Language and human rights advocacy and development work. 

This current research project is financially supported by Ghent University in Belgium. The project is deaf lead by Dr Goedele De Clerk of Ghent University and by Sam Lutalo-Kiingi and Bonnie Busingye of the Kyambogo University research team. Dr Goedele De Clerck is an experienced researcher in the area of anthropology on culture and sustainable human development. The project started in October 2012, lasts for a period of 3 years, and provides comparative perspectives of sustainable development of sign language communities."