SUSANNA ANBU
Dire Tladi appointed as the South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChl) Chair for International Constitutional Law
Professor Dire Tladi of the University of Pretoria’s Department of Public Law has been appointed as the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) South African Research Chair Initiative (SARChI) Chair for International Constitutional Law. Prof. Tladi’s tenure is a five year term which begins in 2021. SARChI’s establishment was led by the Department of Higher Education, Science and Technology, and the NRF in 2006. This intervention was designed to coalesce the knowledge of academics to aid in the formulation of a concrete research base that would aid in contributing to national development and producing innovative research outputs of global acclaim
FLY@UP partners with Specsavers to undertake free eye screening
On 27 October, FLY@UP will partner with Specsavers Hatfield to undertake a free eye screening and testing initiative at the Hatfield Plaza Shopping Centre on Burnett Street. The screenings are undertaken on a first come first serve basis, and are scheduled to take place at either of the following timeslots – 09:00, 12:00 or 14:00. Subsequent to eye screening, deserving students will be provided with a pair of spectacles at no cost.
UP’s partnership with Impact Catalyst to deliver primary healthcare to mining communities
UP’s Community Oriented Primary Care (COPC) Research Unit affiliated with UP’s Department of Family Medicine has undertaken the role to implement work-integrated learning sessions for health workers in the Mapela, Phafola and Mosesetjane mining communities in Limpopo.
The research unit has partnered with Impact Catalyst, an initiative founded by Anglo American, Exxaro, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, World Vision and Zutari to implement the learning sessions to educate the aforementioned communities
in the management of chronic diseases and other associated social concerns. The initiative is known as the WeCare programme, and includes a home based response for undertaking screening, contact tracing and self-isolation. The second part of the programme aims to support health facilities in these communities through the implementation of COVID-related training sessions. The success of the initiative has created impetus for Impact Catalyst to extend COPC’s template to all of its mining sites.
UP’s celebration of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Awareness Month
The month of October commemorates Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month. UP’s Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC), has undertaken projects to develop and disseminate materials that individuals with severe communication disabilities can use to garner an understanding of COVID-19 associated health terminology. The CAAC has asserted that the resources to undertake this initiative will be released and made available during the scheduled training webinars that have been scheduled for November.
AAC refers to the array of communication methods that can be undertaken to supply alternative modes of communication for individuals with speech impairments. This extends to speech comprehension as well, and differs from the traditional mode of speech therapy through a multidisciplinary focus that is not solely centred in speech improvement. Some of the tactics undertaken in AAC include keyword signing, sign language signals and communication boards bearing symbols.
The onset of the pandemic has provided new challenges to the lingual model due to the emergence of numerous non-familiar lingual terms associated with the COVID-19 outbreak. AAC has seen successful implementation in this regard through aiding individuals with communication disabilities in comprehending health terminology at hospitals. According to the CAAC, “health information is often couched in confusing and inaccessible language and provided in formats and modalities that do not support comprehension and retention. As a result, persons with communication disabilities may be under- or misinformed, with consequent detrimental effects on health outcomes”. The initiative formulated by the CAAC aims to bridge the gap between COVID-19 misinterpretation and successful health terminology comprehension.