YouTube Automatic Captioning Moves Out Of Beta

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

In recent years websites such as CaptionTube and independent services made videos and audio more accessible to deaf or hard of hearing people. In November 2009, Google announced the automatic captioning of videos on its YouTube site to boost captioning provision and support text indexing.
Existing captioning services are not always user friendly or free. With [...]

Schools ‘Must Change Their Attitude To Disability’

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Ann Heelan, executive director of AHEAD (Association for Higher Education Access and Disability), recently had an excellent piece in The Irish Times.
A key point in the article states:
” Children with disabilities can learn as much as other children when given the right tools and the right learning environment. Technology can make a significant difference and [...]

Inclusive Reading of “Ben” Book At County Library

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

Students from Tallaght’s Scoil Colmcille and Sacred Heart National School gathered at County Library for a reading of “A Birthday for Ben” on the Tuesday morning of November 10th.
During this interactive session the book was read by Elizabeth and signed by Christopher. At various stages, the kids stopped to learn the signs of key words [...]

TranscribePod Make Podcasts Fully Accessible

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Accessibility is a primary focus in modern education. Recent years have brought the introduction of new tools like CaptionTube (a captioning tool for YouTube videos), interactive whiteboards and now podcast transcripts.
Teachers and lecturers can face challenges in preparing for a class where a student has hearing issues. If a teacher is showing a video in [...]

Review Of Accessibility At AIB SPWC 2009 Festival

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Experiences are educational for deaf children, but verbal exchanges need to be relayed or accessible, especially at public events like SPWC. We are grateful to Miriam Walsh for attending this year’s AIB SPWC event and writing a report for IDK.
On Saturday June 20th, crowds gathered at Dublin’s Merrion Square for the finals of the [...]

Training For Specialist Teachers of Deaf Pupils

Monday, June 1st, 2009

Teachers in Ireland who wish to specifically work with deaf children, should first complete an undergraduate degree course in education, which enables them to teach in every primary and secondary school nationwide.
Ireland currently has no courses for specialist teachers of deaf pupils but the UK has several flexible postgraduate e-learning courses. The best known, from [...]

AIB SPWC Festival To Offer Sign Interpretation

Monday, May 18th, 2009

The AIB Street Performance World Championship, which brings the world’s best circus entertainers to Ireland, is in Dublin from June 18 to 21, 2009.
This free family festival will offer street performance, mime artists, dance, juggling displays, acrobats and games at Merrion Square, in Dublin 2.
Everyone will have a multi-sensory experience, with photo-opportunities, visual performances, action and lots of interaction. The ideal [...]

Accessibility In Computer Training Environments

Friday, May 1st, 2009

A recent conference hosted by AHEAD got me thinking about my education, and learning situations where tuition support might have helped.
By far the most challenging of my three third-level courses was the IT conversion course.  These courses are well-known for their accelerated pace.
That wasn’t the problem, however. Computer-based classroom practicals were the glaring issue. In [...]

Interview With A Researcher Into Music Teaching

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

The IDK team, being curious people, asked Ide, a researcher into music education for deaf children at primary level, what led her to this topic.
IDK: What prompted your interest in music education for deaf children specifically?
Ide: I’ve had an interest in learning ISL since I was quite young but I don’t remember where that interest [...]

Ballyfermot Advocates An ISL Guide For Children

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Ballyfermot Advocacy Service has devised an ISL Guide for Children on the basis that teaching all children ISL is conducive to inclusive education.
The book will be launched on October 16th in Ballyfermot with a view to teaching an accessible language and reducing communication barriers.
A press release is available online and further details will be supplied soon.
Update:
The book, “Hands [...]