Mark Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

This is an important element of the Bill. I thank Mr. Geary and the Irish Deaf Society, including Dr. John Bosco Conama, Mr. Eddie Redmond and others, for their assistance on this. It is difficult to capture and right all of the wrongs that members of the deaf community and their families experience while trying to get into the education system. Mr. Geary has twins, one of whom is hearing and one of whom is deaf. He had to fight to get an interpreter for his son. We are introducing this legislation to ensure that no other family has to fight the battle that he had to go through to get civil rights for his son.

We ask that the Minister of State accept a further provision included in the Bill, namely, a review mechanism. Other jurisdictions that have introduced legislation recognising sign language have also placed educational requirements on the State, but those jurisdictions have not always been successful. The most successful version is probably the Finnish legislation, but it has so many other Acts underpinning it that it was difficult for us to get it into this Bill. A review of our legislation every five years would show whether it is working, particularly for children, which is the most important requirement if they are to be able to achieve their full potential.

I thank the Minister of State and his officials. I am hopeful that this provision will do what we hope it will do in terms of access to education. That will require the necessary funding that the Minister of State has outlined, but it is important that we enshrine in law access to education not only for children but for their parents and siblings who are of the hearing community in order that they can know what is going on in their lives, communicate with them and ensure that they have equal opportunities.