Including Deaf Children At Preschool - Part Two
Thursday, February 25th, 2010This post continues the piece, Including Deaf Children At Preschool (Part One). A key question was put to the mum & creche manager:
How did you identify the potential challenges you (mum & creche) might meet during Charlie’s early days there?
(The Mum)
Once Charlie’s deafness was confirmed, we understood that communication methods had to be adjusted. He [...]
Including Deaf Children At Preschool - Part One
Monday, February 15th, 2010This spring, the Irish government rolls out its free preschool year for all children born between February 2, 2005 to June 30, 2006 (with exemptions for children with special needs). The Early Child Care & Education (ECCE) initiative, which is open to all preschools in Ireland, is profiled on IDK.
IDK will this week [...]
‘Experience’ Books From Off We Go! Publishing
Monday, January 18th, 2010Irish company, Off We Go! Publishing, has released a set of books for children to learn about different first-time experiences in early life.
These books benefit those with special needs and any young child experiencing these outings for the first time.
Twelve different titles are in the series, including “Going on a Plane’, “Going to the Optician” [...]
December 5th Creative Play Sessions - UPDATE
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Update: Owing to the volume of seasonal festivities on Saturday, December 5th, IDK and Helium are postponing the sessions until late January. We apologise for any inconvenience.
On December 5 2009, IDK and Helium will host another Learning Language is Fun! creative play session at the RuaRed arts centre in Tallaght, Dublin. Helium artist, Margot Jones, [...]
IDK Celebrates National Volunteer Day At Libraries
Monday, September 28th, 2009To celebrate National Volunteer Day in association with Volunteer Centres Ireland, the first readings of the IDK childrens’ book, “A Birthday for Ben“, took place at two libraries in Dublin on Friday, September 25th.
In the morning the story’s creators gathered with volunteers and friends at Pearse Street Library to celebrate the release of the book, [...]
“A Birthday for Ben” - A Story About Deafness
Thursday, August 6th, 2009Irish Deaf Kids has teamed with Irish publishing house Special Stories, to release an exciting new children’s book, “A Birthday for Ben”, which is about young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The book is beautifully illustrated by Karen Quirke, a Dublin-born talented deaf artist, and sensitively written by Kate Gaynor, a Dublin [...]
Accessibility In Computer Training Environments
Friday, May 1st, 2009A 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 [...]
“My Brother John” - Teaching Kids About Deafness
Monday, April 6th, 2009Almost exactly a year ago, IDK posted a piece about explaining deafness in concept books for children - which also educate teachers and other adults!
One of these books, My Brother John (published May 2008), introduces deafness, hearing aids, cochlear implants & sign language in a single story.
The story, told from the perspective of John’s sister, [...]
Interactive Whiteboards Benefit Inclusive Teaching
Sunday, December 21st, 2008Interactive whiteboards altered teaching practices at St Columba’s Girls National School in Co Cork, after its deaf pupils benefited from the tools.
St Columba’s GNS, which has a facility for deaf students and teaches all its 600 students sign language, quickly realised the value of the whiteboards.
When teaching new concepts in class, visual images and subtitles can [...]
Teaching New Concepts With Dolls And Puppets
Thursday, November 27th, 2008For young deaf children having difficulty learning new concepts such as numbers, the alphabet, shapes and self-care, dolls can provide a solution.
Signing children will like the doll puppet from Finkel Education’s Hope Catalogue, which has gloves for “hands that talk”. It arrives with alphabet blocks, numbers & six shapes, making it perfect in early education settings.
eBay [...]