Including deaf children in mainstream schools
Presented on Thursday 14 September 2006
Educational Inclusion from a Deaf Perspective
Debra Dalton, Deaf Action
An extract from Report on Access to Social, Cultural and Leisure Opportunities for Young Deaf People
- Questionnaire (by post & face-to-face)
- 14 mainstream young people
- 21 young people from residential
Questionnaire
- Gender, age and Location
- Level of hearing loss
- Methods of communication
- Spare time (at home)
- Spare time (outside the home)
- Friends
- Concerns and worries
- Communication and access to youth and leisure provision
- Other comments
- 31% didn’t use normal phone – relied on parents to make phone calls
- Not aware of TV subtitles.
- None of them knew about TV listening devices
- 44% didn’t have deaf friends while 37% had a few (1 or 2)
- Low numbers of deaf friends may have impact on young people’s confidence and sense of identity
- Sense of being ‘different’
Quotes from young people…
- I feel jealous because they can hear and I can’t.
- I wish I was the same
- They are very lucky
Other comments…
"Many people do not know of hearing aids and find it hard to stop staring, this has happened to me a lot and I get really self conscious."
"I would like to know if my hearing would get better in the future."
"It great to be deaf, so you can meet other deaf people but when younger I used to get bullied about my hearing. I have got over it now."
Conclusions
- Understanding
- Awareness (individual & others)
- Significance of communication
- Full access to information
- Choices
- Identity
- Knowledge
- Benefits
Deaf Health Project Co-ordinator
Deaf Action, Head Office, 49 Albany Street, Edinburgh EH1 3QY
Direct contacts:
Telephone 0131 550 0990 (voice and text)
Email debra.dalton@deafaction.org
Head Office contacts:
Telephone 0131 556 3128
Text phone 0131 557 0419
Fax 0131 557 8283
SMS 07775 620757
Videophone 82.71.100.121
www.deafaction.org