Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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Question 41: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on making provision for an Irish sign language curriculum for use in general schooling, for example during transition year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30271/11]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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There are no plans at present to include Irish sign language as a specific subject within the national curriculum in primary and post-primary schools in the Junior Certificate, or established Leaving Certificate programmes. Irish Sign Language is one of the optional modules available within the Leaving Certificate Applied programme, and schools also have the flexibility to provide this as an option within Transition Year if they wish to do so.

Irish sign language (ISL) has formal recognition in the Education Act 1998. Under that Act, it is a function of the Minister for Education and Science (Skills) to ensure, subject to the provisions of the Act, that there is made available to each person resident in the State, including a person with a disability or who has other special educational needs, support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person. This includes provision for students learning through ISL.

A number of initiatives which seek to promote, develop and implement ISL in order that it will achieve greater recognition and use in the education system are currently in place:

- Special schools for the deaf have been encouraged in relation to the use of sign language in class.

- Funding for an ISL weekly home tuition service whereby deaf tutors visit the homes of deaf pre-school children and deaf school-going pupils to provide training in ISL for the deaf children, pupils, their siblings and parents.

- Funding is also made available through the Special Education Support Service (SESS) to enable individual teachers and whole school staff to undertake courses in Irish Sign Language which are available throughout the country through a variety of providers.