Association of British Sign Language Tutors and Assessors

Committee

The following executive committee was elected at the 2006 Annual General Meeting:-

Chairperson:- Melinda Napier
Secretary/Treasurer:- Charles Herd
Newsletter Editor:- Joanne Thomson
Committee Members:- Shirley Farthing, Aileen Cranwell, Gillian Stringer & Robert Adams
Website Administrator:- Jackie Perkins

Melinda Napier – London (Chairperson)
Although I have retired from City Lit after working there for nearly 30 years, I’m still doing some part-time work and am currently the Deaf Fieldworker for  DCAL at University of London. Also I am doing some teaching of Level 1 in BSL.
I was Secretary and have been involved with ABSLT from its inauguration in 1989. In 1999 I was elected as Chairperson of ABSLT. I have been in committee right from the start (commencing with the Steering Committee for the first year). I have run workshops all over the country.

Charles Herd – London (Secretary/Treasurer)
I have been involved with ABSLT almost from its formation in 1988.
I have served on the committee for all that time, being chairman from 1991 – 1994 and again from 1999 – 2002 when I became treasurer. In 2004 I became joint Secretary/Treasurer. I was a full-time BSL tutor at the City Literary Institute in London for many years and after gaining my Certificate of Education from Nottingham University became the Tutor/Co-ordinator of the STTC (Signing Teachers Training Course) and City and Guilds Tutor Training Courses – Parts 1 and 2. I retired from full-time teaching in 2001 but still do occasional part-time work on training courses at the City Lit. I was an examiner for CACDP at BSL 1,2,3 and interpreter levels and also a curriculum trainer for them at Levels 1,2 and 3. I also served on the CACDP BSL Advisory Committee for a good number of years. I am a passionate advocate of training and development for BSL tutors and have “kept my hand in” as one of the tutors on the ABSLT training workshops that have been held all over the UK in the past 4-5 years.

Joanne Thomson – Bedfordshire (Committee)
I teach BSL Level’s 1 & 2 and Deaf Awareness in various colleges in Bedfordshire & Hertfordshire. I also run staff development training for Communicators in schools. Additionally I am an A1 assessor and work locally and in the Midlands assessing BSL at NVQ Level’s 3 & 4.
I achieved the STTC at City Lit back in June 2000 and graduated with Cert Ed in July 2002. I obtained my NVQ Level 4 in BSL April 2005.
I have been a member of the ABSLTA committee for a good few years. Although having 2 young children I strive to help out with other ABSLTA events and workshops where possible.

Shirley Farthing – Bedfordshire (Committee)
I have attended all the courses that are required to teach BSL and have been teaching Stage 1 since 1998 and Stage 2 since 1999. I now teach in our local college in Bedfordshire where I live with my husband and two children. I obtained my NVQ Level 4 in BSL April 2005 and my PGCE in September 1999. My full time job is a Training Development Officer working in Luton which includes the training and development of new and existing tutors of BSL from levels 1 to 4 and Deaf Awareness. I am also an A1 assessor. Due to my increasing work load I have had to cease being the Workshop Co-ordinator for ABSLT but I help out wherever I can. I can assure you of my commitment to the continuing success of the Association and will continue to support the Association.

Aileen Cranwell (Committee)
I am very happy to be elected on the committee and I will do my best. I am currently teaching Level 1 and 2 and I am also an examiner for level 1 & 2. I have recently passed my A1 Assessor exam and look forward to working with that.

Gillian Stringer (Committee)
I joined ABSLTA fourteen years ago when it was first set up and became a committee member last year. I have been a BSL tutor and examiner for over twenty years, focusing on Level One and Deaf Studies, teaching in a variety of colleges in South London. I am also part of a small team of tutors teaching Level Two. I have been teaching on a Level Three course for the past five years and became an assessor in 2004. I have worked in a number of primary schools as a Deaf Educational Instructor and currently teach BSL and Deaf Awareness to hearing children in a mainstream school which has a Deaf unit. I am in the process of developing a BSL curriculum for primary school children and am piloting a Deaf Awareness course at the same school. I also work as a Deaf Relay Interpreter for Deaf adults with special needs. I plan to teach BSL Level Two Deaf History as a new topic in the next academic year. I have gained a wide range of experience over the years to pass on for the benefit of all ABSLTA members.

Robert Adams BEd, BA, M.AppLing (Committee)
I am a Deaf native signer who works as a postgraduate researcher at the Deafness Cognition and Language Research Centre (DCAL), and am based at City University, as a researcher on the Sign Segmentation Project, a three-year ESRC funded project. I have been involved with sign language teaching for many years, most recently as Teacher Coordinator at City Lit, and now at the DCAL Research Centre. I taught at the National Institute for Deaf Studies at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia before joining the Australian Sign Language Lexicography Project at Renwick College, The University of Newcastle in Sydney as a research associate. I have also been involved with writing sign language curricula, both in Australia and the UK. I was recently involved with the NDCS Family Sign Language Curriculum.

Jackie Perkins (Website Administrator)
I have been involved with ABSLTA in setting up the website and designing new logo in 2006/7 which continues to be a learning curve. I have supported BSL tutors and assessors in Bedfordshire for many years, and acquired PTLLS in 2008. I currently teaches Basic Computing to deaf people in Leicester. I am currently training for A1 Assessor Award and look forward in gaining more experience in assessing NVQ in BSL.

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