Sign Language Centre
The Sign Language Centre started its activities at the beginning of 2010. The Centre is a continuation of the Finnish Sign Language teaching and research work that started at the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ in 1992 and the Sign Language Clasroom Teacher Training project that operated between 1998 and 2009.
The Sign Language Centre is based on a special national task granted to the Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ by the Ministry of Education and Culture. The main purpose of the Centre is to implement, develop and coordinate, in cooperation with other actors in the field, the highest level of research and education in sign language in Finland.
The Centre has a strong base in Finnish sign language research and professional training. From the beginning of 2021, the Centre's research responsibilities have extended to include Finland-Swedish Sign Language.
The research mission is carried out across a wide range of basic and applied research topics in sign languages. In our research we use collaborative networks and a multidisciplinary approach. A general goals of our research is to update prevailing language conceptions and attitudes.
To support basic research, we are building an open research infrastructure, the Corpus of Finland's Sign Languages. As part of applied research, we are developing web-based tools for assessing children's sign language skills.
Through collaborative networks, our research makes extensive use of different technologies, such as motion capture and brain imaging.
The Sign Language Centre is the only place in Finland where sign language is a university subject. The bachelor's and master's programs for sign language specialists offer courses in the Centre's main research areas. Courses are also offered in Finnish Sign Language and sign language communication, as well as in content related to the sign language community and culture. The courses can also be taken as separate modules.
It is possible to obtain a doctorate in Finnish Sign Language at the faculty's doctoral school.
In addition to degree-oriented education, the Sign Language Centre also organizes training in the form of continuing education activities.
Sign language interpreting is provided for study and work situations.
The Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ is a contractual partner of Kela's interpreting services.
