How do you keep your heart soft?

How do you keep your heart soft? That’s the title of Natascha van Weezel’s much-discussed and relevant book. She makes a plea about the “radical center in times of war,” specifically regarding Gaza and the conflict between Israël and the Palestines. Often, these past few months, the thought crossed my mind: “What would Brother Andrew – may God  bless his […]

Black, red and white hearts at the summer camps

Last summer, two camps for the Deaf were held again, organized by Peace Dove for the Deaf. The camp in Egypt lasted five days, the Jordanian camp lasted one day. The theme was about three types of hearts: black, red, and white. The Deaf people understood director Sahel’s explanation very well. The hotel was located in the Egyptian […]

Sign Language Grammar Training

The grammar training was well attended. In September the Dutch Bernadet, a linguist involved in the Jordanian Sign Language dictionary project, provided a one-day training course on sign language grammar. The request came from the Jordanian Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disability (HCD). This government agency is developing a comprehensive multi-year plan to improve Deaf […]

Sign language course in secondary education

In August, Ahlam conducted two sign language training sessions for 23 teachers from Al Amal Secondary School in Madaba and Naour. The initiative was launched by the HCD, which aims to improve communication through its “Sign Language Awareness (Level Two)” training program. The program covered basic sign language principles and specialized academic vocabulary, as well as sign language classroom management and managing […]

Online dictionary with pictures

SooSL, the online dictionary of Jordanian Sign Language, now includes approximately 6,500 signs. This is a significant achievement from Ahlam and her team. In addition to the more than 1,000 example sentences that have been added, hundreds of pictures are now included, further enhancing the understandability of the signs. The sign for “coffee” now also has an image. […]

Preparations for setting up interpreter training

The HCD is developing a proposal to offer a one-year program for interpreters and teachers of Jordanian Sign Language at one of the universities in Jordan, consisting of 300 instructional hours. In February 2024, HCD representatives visited the Netherlands for an exchange program. Contacts are also being made with educational institutions in the Netherlands to ensure the necessary knowledge can […]

Online dictionary festively put into use

video met rene kolsters en een foto van broeder andrew

What would Brother Andrew have thought if he could have been there? The ‘green dictionary for Jordanian Sign Language’, which he worked on for years, is now available online for everyone.

We stand on the shoulders of giants

Recently I spoke with Jameel, an Egyptian who worked for many years with Brother Andrew in Salt. He soon said: ‘I really miss him’. And I responded with the phrase I still hear often when talking about Brother Andrew: ‘I still miss him too.’ Today he would have been 75 years old. It’s been almost four years since he passed away…