Danny De Weerdt is a Deaf university teacher and doctoral student at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland. Originally from Flanders, Belgium, he works in the Department of Language and Communication Studies, where he specializes in sign linguistics, Deaf cultural studies, and the training of sign language teachers.
Academic and Professional Affiliations
De Weerdt has been based at the University of Jyväskylä since 2009, currently serving as a University Teacher in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences while pursuing a PhD in Languages. He is affiliated with the Finnish Sign Language research group and the broader Language Campus network, which includes the Centre for Applied Language Studies, the Department of Teacher Education, and the Centre for Multilingual Academic Communication (Movi)[1].
Research Focus and Publications
De Weerdt’s research interests encompass sociolinguistics, spatial linguistics, language acquisition, and Deaf space. He has contributed to a range of peer-reviewed articles addressing structural and functional features of Finnish and Flemish Sign Languages (FinSL and VGT, respectively).
Notable publications include:
- Figure–Ground Spatial Relationships in Finnish Sign Language Discourse (2020), a study of how signers structure visual-spatial information[1];
- Existential Sentences in Flemish Sign Language and Finnish Sign Language (2016), a comparative syntactic analysis of existential constructions[1];
- Raising the Profile of Sign Language Teachers in Finland (2016), addressing the competencies required for high-quality teaching of signed languages[1];
- Deaf Space and the Positioning of Sign Language Interpreters (2016), which advocates for spatial rethinking of interpreter placement in Deaf spaces[1].
He has also co-authored motion capture studies exploring constructed action and embodiment in sign language narratives, such as The More You Move, the More Action You Construct (2021), and earlier works on sign language video analysis[1].
Teaching and Presentations
As a lecturer, De Weerdt teaches Finnish Sign Language, linguistics, and pedagogy for prospective sign language instructors. His teaching is informed by his practical experience and scholarly background, including his role in developing educational standards for sign language teachers in Finland.
He has presented his work at numerous international conferences and workshops, including topics such as Deaf space, multilingualism, and the affordances of International Sign in academic settings[1].
Contributions to Deaf Studies
De Weerdt’s work is informed by his lived experience as a Deaf person raised in a multilingual signing environment in Flanders. His bilingual and bicultural identity enriches his research and teaching, bridging different signed language communities. His scholarship contributes to the advancement of Deaf-led academic inquiry in Europe, with a focus on empowering sign language users as educators and researchers[2].
- University of Jyväskylä Converis Portal: Staff Profile – Danny De Weerdt.
- ORCID iD: Danny De Weerdt
- ResearchGate profile: Danny De Weerdt.
- Google Scholar profile: Danny De Weerdt.
