June / July 2024
IDS Update – June and July 2024
IDS 42nd AGM and National Council Members Workshop
On 8th June, A morning workshop for National Council Members (NCM) representatives was conducted in line with the IDS Strategic Plan 2023-2026. Key topics included the need for better networking, support for connecting with local services, setting up dedicated NCM emails, and creating a special section on the IDS website and a Facebook page for event advertising.
Our IDS 42nd AGM was held in the afternoon in Athlone
The Advocacy team plans to maintain regular contact with NCM delegates and provide training in governance, policy, social media, and event planning.
Advocacy
Information Office
The Information Office and Advocacy Department are very busy, with the clients using the service here in the Information Office and Advocacy Department.
The Information Officer continues sharing information with the Deaf community through vlogs on social media, website, E-Info and the TV display in the Information Office.
IDS Updates (Community News)
As discussed at the team management meeting, it has been decided to rename the community news because the name led everyone to believe that it was focused on news from the community, while it is for updates on IDS’s activities.
Submissions
Pre-budget Submissions:
The Research and Policy Officer worked on the pre-budget submission with the help of the Advocacy Manager and Advocacy Administrator. The team received full support and attended a consultation event by DCEDIY, where they raised similar concerns to those in the IDS submission.
ISL Act Cross Community Group:
Seven of the thirteen organizations attended the ISL Act group meeting. Twelve participants, including the Policy and Research Officer, attended the meeting. The officer gave an update on the submissions, which impressed the attendees. The main topics discussed were the ISL Curriculum and the voucher scheme.
Rethink Funding
The Irish Deaf Society (IDS) was awarded €114,789 from Rethink’s Disability Participation Fund for the Deaf Awareness and Resource Development Project. The project aims to expand Deaf Awareness Training, launch a new pilot project on DAT online platforms, and begin the first phase of developing the ISL dictionary.
Deaf Awareness Training
In July, the team provided 3 workshops. The Advocacy Administrator has had many queries for upcoming sessions, with September already looking like it will be busy for DAT. This is due to ISL Week being in September.
Deaf Career Project:
In June, the Deaf Career Project had a great month. We held a successful Peer Mentor Workshop to teach mentoring skills and discussed career paths for peer mentors. We are continuing work on the ISL Glossary in July. We are looking for new funding to keep the project going and are talking to the FET department about it. We helped nine clients with their job searches and plan to offer more support through future workshops.
In July, the project explored new funding from Pobal to create job opportunities for Deaf people. We finished the ISL Glossary with 30 career terms, which is now being edited. We made plans with FET to run 10 Career Workshops in the autumn and arranged a workshop for FET’s DAC tutors to ensure consistent career support. We applied for IDS representation on the CDETB board to strengthen partnerships. Feedback from clients was very positive, with many finding jobs or getting promotions.
IHREC Thought Forum 2: AI and Digital Transformation
IHREC hosted a forum about AI and digital changes, looking at both the good and bad aspects. The Advocacy Manager and Project Officer were there, and they talked about problems like biased algorithms, facial recognition issues, and how older people often feel left out of new technology.
They discussed the helpful ways AI can be used, especially for people with disabilities. However, there are also worries about false information, scams, and the environmental impact of AI. The forum emphasized the need for better rules and teamwork to make sure AI is safe and fair. Concerns were also raised that AI can use old and biased information, which might negatively affect certain groups.
Comreg Forum: Equivalence of Access and Choice; Electronic Communication Services
The FET Course Management Assistant, filling in for the FET Course Manager, attended the Comreg meeting with the Advocacy Manager. The meeting reviewed previous actions and Comreg presented updates on the Irish Text Relay Service (ITRS). Improvements were highlighted, but there were disagreements leading to a discussion. IDS suggested updating the ITRS website to improve ISL translation placement and offered to help promote ITRS to the Deaf community.
Dr. Nora Duggan – First Deaf Woman from St. Mary’s School to Earn a PhD
Dr. Nora Duggan, a PhD candidate in Linguistics, has specialized in multilingualism among Deaf people. Her research examined Deaf adult migrants’ use of Swedish Sign Language and Swedish in educational settings. She recently defended her thesis, “Deaf migrants in Swedish adult education: Language ideologies, repertoires, and translingual practices,” at Stockholm University. Nora is the first Irish Deaf woman from St. Mary’s School, Cabra, to achieve this. The Advocacy Manager attended her defense via Zoom.
Deaf Legal Network UK
The Deaf Legal Network (DLN), initiated by barristers from Garden Court Chambers in the UK, connects Deaf-led organizations and legal professionals. Its goals are to share best practices, create referral pathways for legal advice, and address unfair treatment of Deaf communities. The Advocacy Manager attended an online webinar and worked with DLN to support these objectives.
Representatives:
CIC & DNWP: Fair Deal Scheme Information Session
The Information Office set up an information session on the Fair Deal Scheme, presented by CIC Dublin Northwest Partnership, for the Deaf community on Tuesday, 9th July, in Cabragh Hall, DVI.
About 80 Deaf people attended, and there was a discussion where questions were asked from the audience. The event went well.
The session included presentations about how the Fair Deal Scheme works and how to apply for it. Key points include care assessment, financial assessment, HSE support, and approved nursing homes.
Fine Gael & Law Society: Assisted Decision Making (Capacity) Act 2015 & Enduring Power of Attorney
The Information Officer worked with Gayle Ralph, FG, and a legal expert from the Law Society to set up an information session for the Deaf community on Tuesday, 16th July, in Cabragh Hall, DVI. The presentation covered the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 and Enduring Power of Attorney. Approx 25 people were in attendance.
Key points of the presentation included enduring power of attorney, capacity to make decisions, appointed legal representatives, and the rights related to decision-making. There are some issues with the current scheme due to the need for a legal representative to sign the online application, however most solicitors are not comfortable signing this due to lack of involvement in the application. The representative from the Law Society explained this further.
Mental Health Reform (MHR) National Suicide Prevention Strategy – Connecting Life
The Centre for Effective Services is reviewing the suicide prevention strategy for an updated version to be released in 2025. The Advocacy Manager and Advocacy Administrator provided feedback from the Deaf community about the current state of mental health services and suicide prevention. They highlighted what is working and what needs improvement. Despite limited time, IDS provided detailed feedback for the new strategy.
Meeting with Sky Ireland
Sky Ireland is working to improve the experiences of Deaf people using its services. The Information Officer and Advocacy Administrator had an online meeting with Sky to discuss this in detail and share feedback from Deaf users.
DPO Meeting with Mary Lou McDonald
The Advocacy Administrator and IDS Chairperson attended a Zoom meeting with Mary Lou McDonald and Pauline Tully TD. The meeting was arranged to allow DPOs to share their key priorities for the next government. The Advocacy Administrator and Chairperson discussed points from the IDS Pre-Budget Submission. Mary Lou McDonald expressed interest in hosting more meetings with the group.
International Week of Deaf People 2024
The International Week of Deaf People 2024, organised by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD), will take place from Monday, 23rd September, to Sunday, 29th September. Have a look at our webpage for different daily themes provided by the World Federation of the Deaf. #idwp2024
Published: 12th August 2024