‘Happy New Ear’ To The HSE From A Parent Group
Friday, January 18th, 2013Last month, the Irish Examiner revealed that over 350 children are awaiting second cochlear implants from Beaumont Hospital’s pediatric service, due to HSE caps on budgets for spending on health and audiology services.
Children in Ireland currently receive one cochlear implant, in contrast to other countries where two implants (simultaneous or sequential) are seen as best practice for [...]
“Being Born Deaf Is No Barrier” – One Mum’s View
Thursday, January 3rd, 2013Parents can be thrown on learning their baby or child is deaf, but with time, everyone finds what works for their family. As parent Lisa Ridge Valentine says, “If somebody told me how Nansi and Annie would be at four and five, I wouldn’t have the same worries I had when we were told they were [...]
Bilateral Implant Wait List Concerns Irish Parents
Tuesday, December 18th, 2012Despite the progress of Ireland’s national newborn hearing test programme, parents have concerns about the lack of two (bilateral) cochlear implant surgeries for their children, when these are international best practice.
One family in Cork has considered emigrating to the UK to access NHS services after learning their baby’s second implant could take five years.
Read: Parents of [...]
Mainstreamed Student Tackles Employer Prejudice
Monday, December 17th, 2012A female social entrepreneur in Singapore, Ong Jin Yun, herself mainstream-educated with hearing issues and strong support from family and friends, is tackling employer prejudice against graduates with hearing issues.
Read more >> We’re deaf, not inferior
Ms Ong took action, knowing of the extra work deaf students put in to match peer attainment, and realising that [...]
Video Captions – The ‘Missing Piece’ in Education
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012Using captioned video in mainstream classrooms brings ‘hidden benefits’ for teachers and students, as software firm Zane Education clearly explains.
When Bill Clinton talks subtitles for literacy, we must act. What’s your move?
Read >> Subtitles – The “Missing Piece” In Education
Within six weeks, childrens’ reading and literacy skills can improve by up to one year when video is captioned, [...]
Video: What IDK Is About, And What We Do
Friday, December 7th, 2012In autumn 2012, IDK’s pitch won a professionally-produced, promotional video in a CSR give-away by Dublin firm, Tailored Films. Here’s the result.
IDK is very grateful to Tailored Films for donating their skills to our cause, and to everyone featured, for giving valuable time to make this video.
Further Reading
* What Are ‘The Different Ways Of Being Deaf’?
* [...]
What Are ‘The Different Ways Of Being Deaf’?
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012In recent days, IDK’s Facebook page showed a photo, advising us all to “Keep Calm and Celebrate Diversity”. Our point was that diversity exists in the deaf sector too, and some people don’t know [or acknowledge] this fact.
To learn about some ‘different ways of being deaf’, here’s a good piece:
Read >> Different Models of Deafness
In Ireland, [...]
How NZ’s Hearing Tests Lead To Early Intervention
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012New Zealand’s newborn hearing test and early intervention programme has run since 2010, with about 170 babies born per year with hearing issues.
Read more >> Opening A Door To The World Of Sound
Pathways lead from this national newborn hearing test service, to early intervention programs with the family’s chosen communication method.
One service is described in [...]
How Policy Can Lag The Real Grassroots Reality
Sunday, November 11th, 2012Policy for deaf children in different countries around the world can lag actual reality on the ground. Several articles the IDK team read recently, make interesting reading. Our question is, what statistics are national/federal policy makers not getting – and why exactly?
Case in point: a mother in Monterrey, California, who has to fight to secure supports [...]
Cochlear Implants Appreciated By Their Recipients
Friday, November 2nd, 2012Cochlear implants are constantly in the news, ranging from the youngest-yet recipient in the UK (7 months) to the gains reported by older recipients.
Certain individuals don’t want to consider an implant, for their own reasons, but the technology (and processes) are constantly improving regardless.
When children grow up with implants, they (and their classmates) quickly acclimatise, [...]