Communication Technology Solutions – By Design
Monday, November 28th, 2011“Communication technologies [for] people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing are just as much for the general hearing public… in that they foster communication between both groups.” **
Think of SMS texting on mobile phones, web-chat (via text, video or voice), and Facebook posts as everyday solutions for universal access. Real-time captioning (CART) and captioned web-videos similarly [...]
The Telford Model For Early Intervention Services
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011Following a major review of audiology services in Ireland that revealed a history of neglect towards essential pediatric hearing services, a national newborn hearing testing programme (UNHS) began in Cork in April 2011.
The test, to screen for deafness in newborn babies, is intended to enable earlier intervention for family-centered child-language development [...]
The Need To ‘Re-Think Learning’ For Universality
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011Earlier this year, IDK posted Telepractice For Low-Cost Language Teaching as one solution for Ireland’s shortage of speech and language teachers.
Telepractice, the name for this remote teaching approach, is defined as the use of top-rate video-conferencing for the delivery of professional services.
Tech-news site ZDNet recently ran a piece “Re-Think Learning“, to explain how online games and [...]
Newborn Hearing Tests Start In Cork This Month
Thursday, April 14th, 2011On April 26th, phase one of a national newborn hearing testing programme in Ireland will begin in Cork, with national roll-out expected by end-2012.
The HSE assigned just under EUR2 million for the programme in its 2011 plan, with a view to expansion across the HSE South region at end-2011.
Ireland has about 74,000 births per year, [...]
Telepractice For Low-Cost Language Teaching
Tuesday, February 8th, 2011Deaf and hard of hearing children in need of language work in Ireland, may benefit from a solution devised in rural Minnesota, in the United States.
Like Ireland, where a national shortage of speech teachers resulted from health-service hiring caps, Minnesota lacks speech teachers for children.
However, Minnesota’s moves to reduce its shortage of speech teachers for children, [...]
New Life-Skills Workshops For Teens (Leinster)
Thursday, January 13th, 2011IDK is pleased to provide two additional, FREE life-skills workshops for deaf and hard-of-hearing teens, in Dublin (February) and in Portlaoise (April). Both workshops are for teens aged 13 to 18: advance booking is essential.
Dates and times:
Dublin – February 19th (10am to 1.30pm)
Portlaoise – April 2nd (11am to 2.30pm)
Real-time captioning and ISL interpretation will be [...]
The Continuum Of Teacher Education: Draft Paper
Monday, January 10th, 2011The Teaching Council, the professional body for teaching in Ireland, handles teacher education such as the accreditation of teacher education programmes and the professional development of teachers in their careers.
By March 1, 2011, teachers are invited to give their views, comments and suggestions relating to the Council’s Draft Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher [...]
Everyday Language Practice With Deaf Children
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010Many parents of deaf children ask how to do “language practice” at home, as advised by language teachers and educators. Reading is one way, and another is to talk with your child, in their favoured communication mode.
Recently, the IDK team saw a great example of “language practice” online, written by a hard-of-hearing visiting teacher of [...]
Deaf Awareness For Business & Service Providers
Monday, November 1st, 2010With today’s teens doing Transition Year work experience and internships to gain workplace skills, businesses need specific advice on deaf awareness. Multinationals, SMEs & corner shops can all make their service deaf-friendly to broaden current customer bases and reduce unintentional discrimination.
Here are some everyday tips from deaf people:
For a deaf person, eye contact [...]
IDK’s E-Learning Posts For Digital Schools Week
Thursday, September 23rd, 2010For Digital Schools Week, IDK is collating its favourite digital and e-learning pieces into one post. Education practices are rapidly transforming with digital tools, as Silicon Republic reports in its web-feature, and teachers need to use professional development opportunities to upskill for the digital age.
Early Language Learning
Deaf children don’t automatically hear words spoken around them. [...]