Susan (Modiegi) Njeyiyana

Susan (Modiegi) Njeyiyana is a Deaf lecturer and course coordinator in the Department of General Linguistics at Stellenbosch University, where she teaches South African Sign Language (SASL) acquisition to hearing students. With a Master's degree in Linguistics focusing on lexical variation and change in SASL, she has made significant contributions to both academia and the Deaf community. As a respected Deaf poet and academic, her works including "June 16th" and "Bear Wash Day" have inspired many Deaf poets and children to explore storytelling in their own language. Her research examines how SASL developed differently across cultural groups during apartheid and its subsequent evolution. She received the Promising Young Linguist award for her research on SASL dialects in Deaf schools and is preparing to begin her PhD studies in 2024, continuing her advocacy for SASL recognition and improved educational opportunities for the Deaf community