Yesterday, an article on mainstream supports for deaf children in the UK (by Cathy Heffernan) ran in the UK’s Guardian broadsheet newspaper.
Eighty-five per cent of deaf pupils in the UK are mainstream-educated at present. Like in Ireland, these pupils, their families and school teachers draw vital support and guidance from trained (visiting) teachers of the deaf.
Removing these specialist teachers from the ecosystem, is akin to playing Jenga with childrens’ educational outcomes. No-one knows which way Jenga blocks will scatter, when structural weaknesses are revealed in the tower.
These cuts bring the UK’s specialist teacher-pupil ratios, to a similar level as in Ireland (an average of 79.1 pupils per specialist teacher). On a global scale, Australia may have the lowest ratio, at 18 to 20 pupils per teacher.
Further Reading
- Training For Specialist Teachers of Deaf Pupils
- Ireland’s Visiting Teacher Service: Background Details
- Different Mainstreaming Models For Deaf Children
- IDK’s “Ben” Book Animated In British Sign Language
