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Associate Professor Peter Bakker wins award for his work for the deaf

For the past three years, deaf and hearing students from all over the world have been able to attend an international summer school at Aarhus University which is conducted in sign language. The man behind the summer school is Peter Bakker, an associate professor of linguistics, and the Danish Deaf Association has presented him with an award in recognition of his achievements. In this video, he explains the personal and professional intentions on which his initiative is based.

Hear Peter Bakker explain the personal and professional intentions on which the Summer University course "Deaf Studies" is based:

 

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The Annual Viggo Award

The Viggo Award is presented each year by the Danish Deaf Association in recognition of the achievements of an individual or organisation in improving the social circumstances of the deaf.

The committee behind the award has chosen Peter Bakker this year because his successful summer schools have raised the academic profile of deaf studies and generated new knowledge about the situation of deaf people in Denmark.

Last year the Viggo Award was won by Nanna Wulff, a cinema manager who had worked hard to ensure that Danish feature films were subtitled. And the year before, Stine Brix and Lars Barfoed won the award in acknowledgement of their hard work in connection with the recognition of Danish sign language, as confirmed by law on 13 May 2014.