Deaflympics

The world of Deaf sport was rocked in February last year when, for the first time in history, the Winter Deaflympics in Slovakia was cancelled. It would have been the games’ 17^th run. Rumours of corruption and poor handling of the games travelled fast, while Jaromir Ruda, the head of the Slovakian Deaflympic Committee, was arrested for fraud and embezzlement. Following the scandal in Slovakia, Athens withdrew their bid for the 2013 Deaflympics, leaving the future of Deaflympics looking shaky. Ciarán Moloney finds out what really happened and what this means for the future of the Deaflympics.

Take 5! Cathy Heffernan

The world of journalism is cut-throat and competitive, but Irish Deaf woman Cathy Heffernan made it! She defied the odds and landed a job at The Guardian newspaper in London. Eddie Redmond sends roving reporter Sarah Jane to find out the secrets behind Cathy’s success! Cathy is a woman of many talents – not only is she a sub-editor for The Guardian, but she recently produced a documentary, ‘Deaf Sisterhood’ for the British Sign Language Broadcasting Trust. She shares his experiences with Sarah Jane and offers advice to other Deaf interested in getting into media.

Emergency SMS

For years the Irish Deaf Commmunity has been in the unenviable and dangerous position of having no way to independently contact the emergency services.  The emergency relay service was the only option up to now – messages were sent via the minicom, an outdated technology that relies on a landline – no good in case of an emergency outside the home or a fire that requires a quick exit!  Finally, after years of campaigning from the Deaf organisations, the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources has finally launched an emergency SMS service for Deaf people and people with speech difficulties which means that in emergencies, you can now send a text to the number 112 to contact the ambulance service, Gardaí or fire brigade. Seán Herlihy finds out how to register and how it works!

To register or find out more about the new Emergency SMS text service, check out:

http://www.112.ie/

The post Hands On, 15th January, 12.25pm, RTÉ One appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.

Amanda Coogan has produced many works that involve or reference Deaf culture or use Irish Sign Language, including the piece The Deaf Opera, an Irish Sign Language interpretation of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, involving the Dublin Deaf Drama Group.

Fergal Dunne feels his work is influenced by the purely visual nature of Irish Sign Language and the way it can be used to communicate an idea without underlying symbols.

Shane O’Reilly recently broke new ground in the Absolut Fringe Festival with his play FOLLOW, which confronts the many communication difficulties Deaf people experience every-day and uses Irish Sign Language and spoken English in equal measure to make a new, integrated theatre experience for both Deaf and hearing audience.

All three talk to Hands On about growing up in two worlds: the hearing and Deaf; how Irish Sign Language has influenced their work; and how their experience of two cultures has shaped their attitudes and contributed to ideas in their practice. The programme is richly illustrated with clips and images of the work of all three, making this show as beautiful as it is fascinating.

This week on Hands On: Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs) and the Visual Arts

Sunday 4^th December at 12:15 on RTÉ One

The post Children of Deaf Adults (CODAs) and the Visual Arts appeared first on The Hidden Hearing Blog.