A conference on The Future of Deaf Education in Ireland took place at The Croke Park Conference Centre in Dublin, on March 4th, 2010.
The conference saw the launch of a new policy document compiled by DeafHear.ie, The Catholic Institute of Deaf People and the IDS that aimed to set out a new future for specialist deaf education in Ireland.
It looked at the right of the parent to determine what is best for their child while accessing all information regarding the education and communication options available. It also suggests that children at a later age should be able to have their own input into decisions made regarding their education.
By the end of 2010 the policy aims to enable parents of deaf and hard of hearing children to know and understand within 6 months of the child’s birth the options available developmentally and educationally.
The conference will also feature a presentation by Marc Marschark PhD, co-author of “Educating Deaf Students: From Research to Practice” and author of the 2009 advice paper on best practice in Deaf education for the National Council for Special Education.
When it comes to education support services Marc Marsharck looks at how decisions are often based on tradition, intuition and administrative convenience rather than being based on research evidence.
He looks at what research has to say about cochlear implants, newborn hearing screening and early intervention. Marschark last visited Ireland in 2008 when he visited the Mid-West School for the deaf. The purpose of this visit was to discuss the Irish system and get a sense of the issues here in Ireland to aid his findings on best practice models and outcomes in the education of deaf and hard of hearing children.
These findings contributed to his paper, “Evidence of Best Pratice Models and Outcomes in the Education of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Children: An International Review.”
Featured speakers will be both deaf and hearing and interpreters will be present on the day.
Additional speakers will be announced in the near future.
Further reading:
The Catholic Institute of Deaf People’s Education Policy
Marc Marschark’s material
