Student work - Stephanie Raison
Stephanie Raison's "Deaf"
Montenegro's independence vote last month represented the state crumb to fall from the crumbling federation of Yugoslavia. The states of the former Yugoslavia now find themselves rebuilding their systems. For these states the goal is joining the European Union, but there’s a long way to go. For many the transition from Communism to democracy is a confusing process, in particular for the deaf community. In late 2003 The Finnish Association for the Deaf began a training project with 11 local deaf associations in Kosovo to develop a local network and to continue research work on Kosovar sign language. The Finnish Ministry of Foreign Affairs funded the project under the auspices of the Finnish Association of the Deaf, a UN recognised group. Sheena Walters was stationed in Pristina to assist with the project. Sheena grew up in a deaf family and AUSLAN is her first language. On her return to Australia she speaks to Stephanie Raison on Radio 2ser's The Wire about the work in Kosovo.
Download the Deaf sound file (mp3, 3.5mb)
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Stephanie Raison's "Xcultural marriage"
Around 52 per cent of marriages in Australia are between couples from different cultural backgrounds. Such marriages can sometimes arouse suspicion from racist acquaintances that judge the marriage as for visa or economic purposes, regardless of whether the husband and wife are Australian residents. This was the reaction from certain acquaintances when ANU PhD student Monika Doxey, who is Indonesian, announced her marriage to Robert, an Australian, despite Monika having lived half her life in Australia and studying with Robert at school. Dr. Kathryn Robinson, Chief Investigator of the ANU’s Inter-marriage Project says that racism is often targeted at spouses from poorer nations who marry someone from a richer nation. Stephanie Raison reports. If you would like to become involved in the project:
Download the Xcultural marriage sound file (mp3, 4.9mb)
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