There are approximately 5,000 people in Ireland who use Irish Sign Language (ISL) as their first language. Sign Language across the world and in Ireland is becoming an integral part of preschool and primary school curriculum. Irish Sign Language can be an incredible bridge between receptive language and verbal language and it is also a wonderful tool for children learning English as a second language.
At St Aengus we are firmly committed to ensuring that children with SEND (special educational needs and disability), including hearing impairments, receive the care, nurture and support they need when they step into our classrooms.
Every child should have a voice, a way to communicate and someone to communicate with. Everyone has the right to communicate. It is a two way process and if there is a difficulty or breakdown, there is a shared responsibility to address and resolve it. I am so grateful to Danny our caretaker who has taken time out of his busy day to step into my classroom and share this amazing skill. It has not only been a wonderful learning curve, it has also been lots of fun!
