PhD Students

This project examines service provision in education for deaf children in Ireland. It focuses on the provision of early and primary education services.

The central theme of this research is the recent move to mainstreaming. Although mainstreaming of deaf students has been in place in Ireland for over 10 years, and in the legislation since 1998, there has been no significant examination of this phenomenon to date. The urgency of such a study lies in the unique nature of deafness wherein it can have profound effects on the linguistic and cognitive development of the deaf student if not approached in a timely and efficient manner. Moreover, the Deaf community both in Ireland and internationally have expressed grave concern over the potential educational and social isolation of deaf children in mainstream schools and have called for research to be carried out in the area (Irish Deaf Society, conference 2004). Subsequently the research hopes to be guided by these particular concerns, including the views of the Deaf community, students, teachers and parents.