External course leaders at Eikholt, competence and experience

To provide a wide and professionally updated range of courses, Eikholt collaborates with external course leaders with specialised expertise in various fields. Their knowledge and experience are an important supplement to Eikholt's own academic environment. Here we present our external course leaders.

Inger Lise Vincent

Inger Lise Vincent from Drammen has more than 30 years' experience as an interpreter, with particular expertise in the deafblind field. She qualified as an interpreter in 1994 and has since worked as a freelance interpreter, primarily for individuals with combined sight and hearing impairment. With a deaf mother, she grew up with sign language as a natural part of everyday life.

Inger Lise is one of three instructors in Hapti-Co, which works with the training and development of haptic communication. She also participates in various projects related to this field. In addition, she is a trained floral designer and has for over 20 years been hired as a course instructor at Eikholt also in creative activities.

Alongside her interpreting work, she currently teaches courses at Eikholt, focusing on topics such as haptic communication, interpreter-related subjects, and tactile sign language. She is known for a confident and inclusive delivery, bringing both professional expertise and passion to her teaching.

Hildebjørg Karlsen Bjørge

Hildebjørg Karlsen Bjørge from Sandefjord is a qualified interpreter for deaf and deafblind people and has extensive and varied experience from the interpreting profession. She has worked both within the interpreting service and as a freelance interpreter, with particular expertise in interpreting for people with combined vision and hearing impairments. In addition, she has many years of experience from upper secondary school.

Hildebjørg is one of three in Hapti-co, which works with training and the development of haptic communication. For several years, she has been involved in development work and projects related to this field.

Hildebjørg has a broad additional education in guidance, pedagogy and counselling, and has also specialised in note-taking for deaf-blind people and remote interpreting. She
is currently undertaking further education in sign language interpreting at NTNU.

Today she works as a freelance interpreter and is hired for teaching at Eikholt, where she contributes to courses on haptic communication, interpreter-related topics and tactile sign language. Hildebjørg is a confident, knowledgeable and inspiring communicator.

Egil Edwin

Egil Edwin is a qualified visual educator and mobility and ADL instructor. He has many years of experience teaching visually impaired people across various subject areas. Previously, he has worked at the Assistive Technology Centre in Oslo and Akershus, as well as the Huseby Resource Centre (now Statped).

He is currently employed by the consultancy firm Ablecon AS, where for many years he has provided education for individuals with visual and hearing impairments in subject areas such as visual pedagogy, mobility and orientation, ADL, ICT, Braille and more. This has been as an engaged consultant on behalf of various public bodies, such as adult education services, assistive technology centres, the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted, and others. At Ablecon AS, he is also centrally involved in the development of technological
visual aids for the visually impaired

For several years he has collaborated with Eikholt National Resource Centre for Deafblindness, where he has contributed, among other things, to ICT training, Braille training and mobility/ADL training for individuals with combined vision and hearing impairment. With his broad experience, cheerful disposition and ability to see each individual participant, Egil creates a learning environment characterised by mastery and development.

Arnfinn Kalvenes

Arnfinn Kalvenes has a technical background and over 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur and leader within the assistive technology field. He is passionate about technological opportunities and development that create empowerment and simplify everyday life for people with vision and hearing impairments.

With over three decades in the field, he has a unique breadth of expertise in digital accessibility, service, training and consultancy for individuals with visual, hearing and mobility impairments.

His field of expertise is:
• Computer training for blind and partially sighted people
• Customisation and servicing of technical
aids
• Workplace and school adaptations
• Development and innovation projects

Arnfinn is a valued course instructor who combines broad experience and technological insight with a calm and confident delivery style. He creates a sense of security through his calmness, while his creativity and problem-solving ability help participants find solutions that work in everyday life.

Sondre Varpe

Sondre Varpe is a social analyst,
speaker and course leader with extensive
interest in politics, people and how society works. He has a background in social analysis, philosophy and politics, and has worked for many years with management, analysis, emergency preparedness and social issues.

As a course instructor, he is dedicated to making learning engaging, relevant and inclusive. Participants do not just encounter a lecturer, but a discussion partner who welcomes dialogue, questions and reflection. In his courses, he combines professional knowledge with current events, humour and invariably an aim to effect actual change. This might involve gathering politicians at the Storting for a debate, sending a letter to the White House or testing out which shares are actually worth buying.

Sondre also has experience as a master of ceremonies, conference host and stand-up comedian, and is known for creating an informal and relaxed atmosphere where people are allowed to be curious, engaged and in disagreement. His aim is simple: to make difficult topics easier to understand, and to give participants greater confidence to take part in conversations about society, politics and the world we live in.