معرفی
Professor Ros Herman is a distinguished academic at City St George's, University of London, where she works part-time teaching, conducting research, and running the Sign Language & Reading Assessment Clinic. As a Professor in the Language & Communication Science Division within the School of Health Sciences, she has established herself as a leading expert in British Sign Language development and communication with deaf children.
Her educational background includes qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist at Reading University, completing an MSc in Human Communication at the University of London, and earning her PhD at City, University of London. This strong clinical and academic foundation has informed her decades-long career bridging theory and practice.
Professor Herman's research focuses primarily on language development in British Sign Language (BSL), communication and reading skills in deaf people, and assessment methodologies for deaf children. She has made groundbreaking contributions by developing the BSL Receptive Skills Test (1999) and BSL Production Test (2004), which remain the only norm-referenced sign language assessments globally. Her work has significantly influenced deaf education and assessment practices worldwide, with her tests translated into multiple sign languages.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent focus on advancing assessment tools for deaf children, understanding reading development in deaf populations, and developing effective communication interventions. Her research increasingly incorporates multidisciplinary approaches, collaborating with experts in psychology, linguistics, and education to address complex challenges in deaf education and language development.
- Developed the only norm-referenced BSL assessment tools globally (BSL Receptive Skills Test, BSL Production Test)
- Played key role in UK National Monitoring Protocol for Deaf Infants & Children (2004)
- Recipient of significant research funding including Nuffield Foundation and Heather van der Lely Foundation grants
- Research affiliate of Deafness, Cognition & Language Research Centre at UCL
Professor Herman actively supervises numerous research students focusing on deaf children's language development, communication interventions, and assessment methodologies. Her leadership extends to major funded projects investigating reading and dyslexia in deaf children. She runs the Sign Language and Reading Assessment Clinic at the Roberta Williams Speech and Language Therapy Centre, providing clinical assessments for child and adult BSL users. Her collaborative research network includes prominent scholars like Prof Penny Roy, Prof Gary Morgan, and Prof Bencie Woll, reflecting her central position in the international deaf research community.
