Fremdsprachenlernen nach einer erworbenen Hirnschädigung

Abstract

The author suffered a severe brain injury after a road traffic accident at the age of 12. Nevertheless he has always been interested in foreign languages by experimenting different study techniques. He started to memorize medical nomenclature, which he heard – at first without understanding their meaning - from his doctors when they talked about his injuries. Later on he tried to find a suitable school where he could get the best conditions for language learning. Often he encountered ignorant teachers and an uninterested administration not knowing how to handle learners with special needs, but he never gave up learning languages in an active way. So he was able to study in Liverpool for three months with the help of an ERASMUS grant.

In his contribution, Rensinghoff reports about the difficulties which a handicapped learner encounters, and which hopefully might be reduced through an inclusive education in foreign languages.