Double Book Launch
The School of Inclusive and Special Education recently celebrated a double book launch to mark publications by two of its faculty: Dr. Órla Ní Bhroin and Dr. Elizabeth Mathews.
Dr. Órla Ní Bhroin's book Inclusion in Context: Policy, Practice and Pedagogy was published by Peter Lang International Academic Publishers and launched by Finian McGrath, the Minister of State for Disability Issues. The book explores how teachers interpret the policies and principles of inclusion and enact these in their practice, and provides valuable insights into how inclusion is understood, interpreted and experienced in the classroom. Inclusion in Context: Policy, Practice and Pedagogy is available to purchase online (paperback and e-book) on order@peterlang.com.
Dr. Elizabeth Mathews’ book Language, Power and Resistance: Mainstreaming Deaf Education was published in January by Gallaudet University Press (Washington DC). Launching the book, Professor of Deaf Studies and Associate Dean of Research from Trinity College Dublin, Prof. Lorraine Leeson remarked that this is one of the first empirical studies of deaf education in the Republic of Ireland. While it adds considerably to our knowledge of the national context, she added that it is also receiving international attention owing to its discussion of power in the deaf education system. Language, Power and Resistance is available to purchase online (hard bound and e-book) on amazon.co.uk and in hard copy from Hodges Figgis bookshop in Dublin.
School of Inclusive and Special Education Double Book launch April 12th 2018, Cregan Library, DCU St Patrick’s Campus
Speaking notes: Joe Travers, Head of School
Guests and colleagues welcome to you all. My name is Joe Travers and I’m Head of the School of Inclusive and Special Education here on the DCU St Patrick’s Campus. Particular welcome to Órla and Elizabeth and their families and friends and to Minister Finian McGrath TD and Prof Lorraine Leeson who will launch the books and to our signer Darren Byrne. We are also joined this evening by the Dean and Deputy Dean of the Institute of Education, Dr Anne Looney and Prof Pádraig Ó Duibhir.
A book launch is a very joyful occasion and we have double the joy this evening. It is also an important milestone in the brief history of our new school. On behalf of the School and the wider DCU community I wish to congratulate both Órla and Elizabeth on their achievements.
The format for this evening is that I will say a few words to set the context and then Finian will speak, followed by Orla and then I’ll introduce Lorraine and Elizabeth and our Dean Anne Looney will bring the formal proceedings to a close.
This year marks twenty years since the passing of the Ed Act which for the first time in our education history the State acknowledged that all of its children had a right to an appropriate education. Earlier in the 1990s the State had lost the O Donoghue court case where it had fought to deny education to its most vulnerable citizens. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the policy shift which became known as automatic entitlement to resources to support inclusive education in mainstream schools and the acceptance of Autism as a distinct condition. This policy led to a large increase in resources albeit from a low base. It has been argued that the two key tangibles from the boom have been the motorways and SNAs.
However, during the expansion there was criticism from the National Council for Special Education that there had been 'no structured emphasis on outcomes and an almost endemic fascination with inputs, with no means of ascertaining what outcomes are being achieved for children with special educational needs.' (NCSE 2006:17).
A recent analysis of the GUI data conducted by a team from the institute here in partnership with the ERC has found that there are still significant differences between children with special educational needs and their peers in relation to issues around transition to post primary, wellbeing, bullying and lower than expected levels of achievement. It is clear that while progress has been made on access to education, there is evidence of partial participation and limited benefit for many children with special educational needs from the system. A new allocation model has been introduced granting additional autonomy to Schools and it remains to be seen how well this will be used.
In this context this evening’s publications challenge us all in relation to how inclusive our system is. We know that being there is not the same as learning there. Orla Ní Bhroin reports on a wonderful in depth study of nine mainstream and nine resource teachers and takes us to the core of pedagogical practices. Her findings are very insightful and significant and I’ll just comment on one: the differences in practices between class teachers teaching on their own, in a co teaching situation and resource teachers withdrawing children. On their own teacher dominated question and answer sessions with a high frequency of factual and closed questions inhibited the mediated talk essential to learning for children with SEN. In contrast the findings also found that two teachers working with smaller groups within the mainstream class can create the conditions to facilitate mediated talk and meditated- learning interactions - the paraphrasing to assist understanding, prompting and questioning in a tentative manner to promote thought. This is important evidence as we encourage more co- teaching in our system.
Elizabeth’s analysis of deaf education abroad and in Ireland highlights the dangers of inclusion as assimilation and how sign language was denigrated through medical, educational, social, cultural and religious means.
She expertly outlines the roots of resistance to this. Two key messages for me are firstly how careful we need to be about the advice we give and receive and the levels of certainty we attach to it. Some of the interviews in the book are harrowing in terms of the long term damage done to DHH children and their parents by so called expert advice.
And secondly, the limitations of either or options or dichotomous thinking; manualism or oralism, psycho-medical or social model. In contrast a continuum of options allows for the flexibility to recognize individuality and context in shaping responses to rights and needs.
Elizabeth’s arguments are balanced and measured and present a vision of a more inclusive model that recognizes that having access to both hearing and deaf communities need not be mutually exclusive and is so much richer for deaf and hard of hearing children.
I also wish to acknowledge Elizabeth’s work within DCU in developing an entry route for DHH people who use ISL to access ITE and in developing a graduate programme to qualify teachers of the deaf in Ireland.
Now we will start this evening with Órla’s book. Órla Ní Bhroin is an associate professor in the School of Inclusive and Special Education. A former primary teacher she is a graduate of St Pats and has additional qualifications in psychology and special education.
She has worked in teacher education for the past fifteen years and is Deputy Director of the research centre in Teacher Education in DCU. Her research interests are wide-ranging and include practices and pedagogy for inclusion, teacher educator pedagogy for developing student teachers' understanding of special educational needs and of practices for addressing diversity and inclusion, the impact of continuing professional development on teachers' understanding and use of the individual education plans, and qualitative research theory and practice.
Órla’s book will be launched by Finian McGrath TD who is aligned with the Independent alliance and has served as Minister of State for Disability Issues since May 2016. He has been a TD since 2002, currently for the Dublin Bay North constituency.[1]
A former primary teacher, principal and county counsellor Finian has a strong track record as an activist in campaigning on issues relating to educational disadvantage, health and disabilities and equality. He has been a great advocate for people with disabilities and is to forefront in supporting a cultural change from a charity to a human rights perspective on disability issues. Guests and colleagues please welcome Minister Finian Mc Grath.
Moving to Elizabeth’s book.
Elizabeth Mathews is an assistant professor in the School of Inclusive and Special Education at DCU St. Patrick's Campus, where she specialises in the area of deaf education. She completed her MA in Deaf Education at Gallaudet University, Washington DC (2005) and her PhD with Maynooth University (2011). Previously, she was the coordinator of the Deaf Education Centre in Cabra, Dublin. She sits on the Board of Management of Holy Family School for the Deaf in Cabra and is a member of the Education Partnership Group.
Elizabeth’s book will be launched by Prof Lorraine Leeson who is Professor of Deaf Studies at the Centre for Deaf Studies in Trinity College. Her research work is multidisciplinary in nature, influenced by her background in Deaf Studies, Gender Studies and Linguistics. She has published widely on aspects of the linguistics and applied linguistics of signed languages with a specific interest in Irish Sign Language and in the area of sign language interpreting.
She has engaged in European research work with academic institutions, Deaf communities and interpreting organisations for over two decades.
Guests and colleagues please welcome Prof Lorraine Leeson.