Archive for September, 2008

Teaching Hearing Pupils About Deafness

Tuesday, September 30th, 2008

Many school teachers wonder how to teach their hearing pupils about deafness but are unsure how to proceed. Children with a classmate who’s deaf can be equally curious about what exactly is involved. Depending on the age of the children in a school class, the concept of deafness can be taught in ...

October 6 Hair-athon!

Monday, September 29th, 2008

Please come out on 6 October, 5:30pm, Grafton St, to help support me in my Hair-athon!  I, along with others, will be chopping off ALL my hair (at least 18 inches) and donating it to Locks of Love.  Local comedian Damien Clarke (of RTE's "I Dare Ya")will be doing the ...

New E-Learning Research Under Way In Ireland

Friday, September 26th, 2008

Research into e-learning technology for deaf children in Ireland is to be conducted by the Centre for Education Research Partnerships (CERP) at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, New York. The National Council for Special Education is investing €50,000 into the research, which is under way and will continue ...

IDK Photo Competition Backed By Dublin Venues

Monday, September 22nd, 2008

This Friday, IDK is celebrating Give It A Swirl Day (Volunteer Day) with the news that several South Dublin venues are backing the photo competition. ( October 31 is the closing date, so still lots of time to get your entries in! )  For now, check out the news update on the ...

Non-Verbal Communication Speaks Volumes

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Many deaf youngsters can read the movement of an eyelid, or so it’s said. Non-verbal communication and facial expressions are essential for deaf youngsters to decode what’s said by a speaker, whether it’s verbal or signed.  Visual information cues give the tone of what’s being said, as aural nuances aren’t always picked up ...

Parent Question: Teaching ‘Pretend’ And ‘Real’

Monday, September 15th, 2008

A mum recently asked how to explain ‘pretend’ and ‘real’ to her son. There are a few ways to do this. Sorting toy and ‘real’ items into piles may be the easiest start, as Anna McLeod at Release Communication advises.  Comparing toy and ‘real’ animals side-by-side is another way to explain ‘pretend’ ...

‘An Ideal Husband’ With Stagetext At The Abbey

Saturday, September 13th, 2008

Stagetext was back at the Abbey this afternoon after a six-month absence. This time, An Ideal Husband, Oscar Wilde’s 1890s drawing-room comedy about social hypocrisy, got the theatre captioning treatment. A faultless performance resulted, with Stagetext successfully conveying the plot’s many twists and dilemmas to the audience. My only criticism is that the Stagetext ...

Give The IDK Photo Competition A Swirl!

Friday, September 12th, 2008

September 26, 2008 is National Volunteer Day, organised by Volunteer Centres Ireland (VCI), which develops volunteering in Ireland. On this day, IDK’s two local Volunteer Centres are arranging for volunteers to go out & take photos for our photo competition at key venues in Dublin. A competiton flyer and factsheet are online ...

The Challenges In Educating Deaf Children

Monday, September 8th, 2008

 The challenges of one family in educating three children with varying degrees of deafness are outlined in a recent article in the Irish Times. Even within the same family, different educational supports are needed. For families living outside of Dublin, these supports need to be delivered in the local area for the children ...

Workshop Offered By Release

Friday, September 5th, 2008

As children with Asperger Syndrom get older, they can find their school environment very challenging.  And for those educating the child with Asperger Sydrome, they can often find themselves at a loss, and frustrated with the best ways to present curriculum and materials. If you are a parent or educator of ...