Schooling

Over 3,300 deaf children (90% of the total) are mainstream-educated in Ireland with under 4% using sign language (#NCSE, 2011). Supports are provided by the visiting teacher service and from state hearing-services. Technology and digital tools are a major leveller in mainstream education and must factor when choosing a school for the children.

Today’s Deaf Children Hear And Talk

• Newborn hearing tests (since 2012) and infant education give today’s kids a headstart with listening and talking.
• Today’s cochlear implants and hearing-aids give digital sound quality like never before.
• Infant verbal education leads children into preschool with peer-level spoken language.

School Options

Schooling and communication, are two of the biggest decisions the family of a deaf child make. The topic is reviewed in the Irish Times (Feb. 11, 2011). Most parents in Ireland mainstream-educate their child at primary and post-primary level (all subjects), maybe with home tuition, or resource teaching during the school day.

School Pathways – The Need To Know

Others may send their child to mainstream school at primary stage with different approaches, and then to secondary school: less-often to a specialist school, or to the UK. A minority option is for the child to attend a specialist school for the Deaf for their entire education, and grow up with Deaf peers, using ISL as a first language (this impacts literacy).

Ireland’s current schooling options are:

Mainstream schools (90 per cent of deaf pupils)

• with a visiting teacher for deaf students
• supplemented by an on-site resource teacher –
• and if needed, a special-needs assistant (SNA) in the classroom

 

As a hybrid model, Australia’s units for deaf children at mainstream schools are offering auditory-verbal therapy (AVT) based supports but Ireland’s units significantly lag in this regard.

Special units for deaf children at mainstream schools in Ireland:

• Douglas Community School, Co Cork
• St Columba’s GNS, Co Cork
• Geashill Unit, Co Offaly
• Presentation Primary School, Tralee, Co Kerry
• Mounthawk Secondary School, Tralee, Co Kerry
• Darley National School, Cootehill, Co Cavan
• Ennis Community College, Co Clare
• Holy Family Junior National School, Ennis, Co Clare

 

Special schools for Deaf students in Ireland:

St Mary’s, Cabra, Dublin 7

St Joseph’s, Cabra, Dublin 7

The Mid-West School for the Deaf, Limerick