The Communication Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
New videos on Signwiki
16th June 2025
On the occasion of the 15th of June, the date on which the Law on the Status of the Icelandic Language and Icelandic Sign Language came into force in 2011, SHH is now publishing several videos with the Icelandic speakers of the Icelandic Sign language on SignWiki. This time, two women of different generations, Katla and Dísa, are involved, they have both passed away.
Katla Þórðardóttir was born on October 3rd, 1945 in Reykjavík and died on November 24th, 2017 in Kópavogur.
She worked various jobs, was a great craftswomen and was also considered a great humorist and a good storyteller. Two interviews were taken with Katla at SHH where she told about her life, family and schooling. The individuals taking the interviews are Steinunn Þorvaldsdóttir and Svava Jóhannesdóttir.
Bryndís Halldóra Steindórsdóttir, always called Dísa, was born in Akureyri on July 24th, 1972, but died in an accident at the age of only 17 on June 3rd, 1990.
She first came to the School for the Deaf in her sixth year and lived in the dormitory from the age of 10, where she was a great source of joy for both younger and older people. In the videos, Dísa can be seen talking about herself and also reciting an original poem, 16-17 years old.
The publication of videos with ÍTM speakers on SignWiki is in accordance with the Communication Centre’s policy for 2024-2026, which states that the availability of published cultural material in Icelandic sign language should be increased. This is also in accordance with the government’s goal to increase services to sign language speakers, as stated in the 2025-2029 financial plan and the Icelandic Sign Language Language Policy, which emphasises the preservation of the language and the public publication of preserved material.
To watch the videos on SignWiki, use this Link for Katla’s interviews and this Link for the videos with Dísa.