GESTU – a success story

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ÖGS video - introduction to GESTU

Successful studying for deaf and hard of hearing students

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ÖGS Video of the german text

What is GESTU?

GESTU is a competency and service point that supports deaf and hard of hearing students during their studies with a wide range of services to facilitate equal access to their studies.

Who may contact GESTU with questions?

  • Students
  • People interested in studying
  • Lecturers
  • Other members of universities

Who may benefit from GESTU?

Deaf and hard of hearing students who are enrolled in a regular degree program at a university, a university of applied sciences or a university of education in Vienna.

What is GESTU doing for students?

GESTU organizes and coordinates

  • Sign language interpreters
  • Speech-to-text interpreters
  • Student buddies for taking notes during classes, study support or proofreading

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Additional support:

  • Counselling for study-related questions
  • Lending of assistive technologies (e.g. wireless microphone, portable speakerphone)
  • Mediation in case of problems or discrimination during studies

Services for lecturers and staff

We raise awareness and offer consultation to lecturers and other members of the universities if deaf or hard of hearing students are attending their lectures and if they have questions in this context.

Our field of activity is complemented by the development of technical terms in ÖGS.

Development of technical terms in ÖGS

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ÖGS video of the german text

In each field of study, technical terms are often used for which Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) does not yet have an adequate sign. Therefore, students and interpreters have to develop these technical terms in ÖGS together.

In order to ensure that the technical signs are recognized as valid signs and can also be used by subsequent students, the development of technical terms in ÖGS was started.

Newly developed signs are collected, then analysed and edited according to linguistic criteria. Signs developed in this manner will be filmed and shared with the general public in an online corpus.