Ms Elaine Grehan:

I thank the Deputy for his question. When it comes to employability we really need improvement when it comes to communication. The barriers lie within communication. There are the Intreo offices and services and employment to support people with disabilities. Unfortunately, those who work in the service do not have the communication skills to communicate with the deaf community. They are not interpreters. In real life it is impossible to provide this type of support for interpreter provision all of the time. Of course there are limitations. When it comes to the deaf community the barriers lie in communication.

There is also an attitude that a deaf person is not able to work or to do certain roles. There is a real barrier when it comes to attitude. Deaf people are able to work and they definitely can. Sometimes health and safety is used as an excuse to say a deaf person is not able to be involved and that it would break health and safety regulations. This is something we often face when it comes to employment.