This year’s 22nd edition of the Children’s University Frankfurt (September 15-18, 2025) once again featured a lecture interpreted live into German Sign Language (DGS).
On Monday, 15 September, Dr. Renate Rabenstein and Dr. Krister Smith presented “Primeval Giant Snake on the Hunt: Our Wildlife 47 Million Years Ago”. The lecture was simultaneously interpreted into DGS, giving deaf and hard-of-hearing children direct access to the exciting world of prehistoric animals from one of the most famous fossil sites near Frankfurt. (Link: https://www.kinderuni.uni-frankfurt.de/34831485/Frankfurter_Kinder_Universitt_2025#Programm)
We are especially proud that this development goes back to ViCom: in 2023, ViCom coordinators Cornelia Ebert and Markus Steinbach had their Children’s University lecture “The Speaking Hands” interpreted into DGS for the very first time (see here: https://vicom.info/the-speaking-hands-a-lecture-by-cornelia-ebert-and-markus-steinbach-at-the-20th-childrens-university-frankfurt/). This year, the tradition was carried forward – a wonderful step towards making science communication more inclusive.
We hope this becomes an established tradition at the Children’s University Frankfurt – and inspires many other events to follow its lead.