Profoundly deaf children have yet to be allocated sign language interpreters in school, six months after the positions were first promised.
Parents have expressed anger that their children have returned to school for another term without the essential support, despite a commitment that new Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter positions would be created.
In March, Education Minister Norma Foley and Minister of State Josepha Madigan announced details of an enhanced scheme for the provision of Irish Sign Language (ISL) in-school support for students who are deaf and whose primary means of communication is ISL.
It was announced that the new positions, which would be filled by people with a specialised four-year degree, would see school interpreters placed on a stand-alone pay grade starting at around €32,000 and rising to approximately €67,000.
However, deaf children have started another year of school without this support as the Department has yet to fully finalise the details of the scheme.
“It seems to be a case of promising something, making a big fuss about it, and then nothing actually happens,” said Kilkenny mother Emma Dooley O’Regan.
She has secured an SNA (Special Needs Assistant) to assist her five-year-old daughter Pippa for the next four weeks. However, she does not know what, if any, assistance will be provided after this.
“They haven’t rolled out this new communication position within the classroom. They are still trying to pay under an SNA wage. I am lucky I have a person who’s willing to do four weeks in September, she’s just graduated from Trinity, but she’s not going to accept an SNA salary and I can’t blame her for that.”
Ms O’Regan said she had expected that Pippa, who has just started junior infants, would have secured ISL support in time for the school term.
The Sign Language Act, established in 2017, places a statutory duty on every public body to provide free interpretation for all statutory services and entitlements, including education.
However, campaigners had said that the lack of proper supports up until now has denied deaf children their rights.
Orla Freeman Gibney, whose seven-year-old son Eoghan is deaf, said: “It’s ridiculous that you think the Government has been investing so much money in university graduates and there are children out there who can benefit from those graduates, but the jobs just aren’t put in place.”
She said the family are lucky that Eoghan has been supported by a person who has been willing to do the job on an SNA salary.
“We have somebody there that’s highly qualified, highly experienced, and they’re just not getting the recognition through pay that they deserve. We sat patiently once that announcement was made, we met all the …….
Source: https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-40955696.html