TRIBUTES have been paid to a former North-East academic who has died at the age of 61 after a long illness.

Dr Mary Brennan, former co-director of Durham University's deaf studies unit, was a leading figure in the British Sign Language (BSL) movement.

Dr Brennan wrote the first BSL/English dictionary, played a major part in researching the grammar of signing, and was also responsible for devising the name of the language.

Born in Gateshead, she was a graduate of Newcastle University and spent nine years at Durham University, before moving to Edinburgh, in 1998.

While at Durham, she set up the first-taught MA courses in Britain in the Teaching of Sign Languages.

Co-director David Brien said Dr Brennan had made an outstanding contribution to the study of sign languages. He said: "She will be remembered in many countries for her integrity, compassion and commitment to justice."

At the time of her death on June 23 she was reader in deaf studies at the Moray House School of Education, Edinburgh University.

A spokesman for the British Deaf Association said: "Mary fought for BSL rights, linguistic access and deaf education long before most people did. Without her, the sign community would be in a very different position today."