Archive for August, 2010

Workshop For Teenagers (Dublin, October 2010)

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

IDK is hosting a full-day Life Skills workshop for deaf & hard-of-hearing teenagers aged 16 to 19, in Dublin on October 28th, during the mid-term break. Real-time captioning and ISL interpretation will be provided all day.
This workshop aims to engage the teenagers in the day’s learning through active participation, to involve them as fully as [...]

IDK’s Student Essay Editing/Proofreading Service

Friday, August 27th, 2010

With more deaf students moving to third-level education in Ireland, the IDK team knows these students need specific essay supports.
Many colleges provide services for deaf students to have written work edited and proof-read before deadlines, especially if ISL is their first language.
IDK is uniquely positioned to provide this editing and proof-reading service to complement its [...]

Laois Rose Mentions IDK At The Rose Of Tralee

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Ireland’s Rose of Tralee international festival needs introducing to few people. So, the IDK team was surprised and delighted when the Laois Rose, Bernadette Ryan, mentioned IDK in her live TV interview at the event.
Bernadette, a primary school teacher in Co. Laois, has supported IDK in recent months due to understanding the unique challenges experienced [...]

Digital Readers (eReaders) Improve Child Literacy

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Until now, eReaders (digital book-reading devices) were used exclusively by adults, but the release of vTech’s eReader models for children and Apple’s iPad means it is time to explore the benefits of eReaders for kids.
One year ago, IDK noted how web technologies make story-telling inclusive for deaf and hearing children who may be in the [...]

Hidden Hearing Offers Ear-Moulds To IDK’s “Kids”

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Earlier this year, Hidden Hearing (the hearing-aid provider) contacted IDK about the difficulty parents can have in sourcing hearing aids and earmoulds for their children. Ear-moulds give parents particular grief, as children grow in millimetres and a new set may not fit if it is delayed for a few months.
Hidden Hearing will fit IDK’s “kids” [...]

Australia’s Deaf Kids Get Captions In Classrooms

Monday, August 16th, 2010

For the first time deaf kids in Australia can gain equal access in classrooms, with  a pilot schools-captioning idea from access solutions firm, Ai Media.
Ai Media was formed in 2003 and has since dedicated itself to providing generic captioning services. In Australia about 85% of deaf children attend mainstream schools and last year AI Media [...]

Hearing Aids + Learning = Education

Wednesday, August 11th, 2010

Two recent articles in the Irish press highlighted two essential issues facing families with deaf children in Ireland. These are the need for:

hearing-aids from as young as possible (even under 1 year old), and
early intervention for children with severe to profound deafness

Newcomers to deafness may ask, what is the link with hearing-aids, learning & education? [...]

Question: Can A Deaf Child Participate At Creche?

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Many first-time visitors to the IDK website ask this question. Its frequency is surprising. There’s absolutely no reason a child who’s deaf can’t participate at creche, if the right supports are in place. Same as when a child moves to junior infants at primary school.
The IDK team is aware that some deaf children don’t attend [...]