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Monica Xiao Wei is on the Psychology pathway at the University of Birmingham. Monica undertook a 5-week OIV at the Centre for Sign Linguistics and Deaf Studies (CSLDS) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

During the OIV, Monica worked closely with researchers on issues related to the acquisition and assessment of Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL). She conducted an extensive review of literature on perception-based sign language proficiency assessment and explored existing test designs. In particular, Monica examined materials and methodological frameworks developed within the SignHub Project, contacted project leads, and held online meetings to discuss possible adaptations for HKSL. She also explored their testing platform, analysed their item design, and recorded initial HKSL video items for a pilot version of the test.

Monica finds the visit to be very productive: It allowed her to engage with a leading HKSL research centre, refine methodological aspects of her doctoral project, and establish international research connections. An unexpected benefit was the opportunity to initiate collaboration with researchers involved in the SignHub project, which opened up new possibilities for adapting existing assessment frameworks to HKSL and for future cross-linguistic research collaboration. Monica hopes that these connections may lead to future conference presentations or joint research projects, contributing to her longer-term development as a sign language researcher.