Kerry Deaf Resource Centre Update 13.12.10
CHRISTMAS PARTY- FINAL REMINDER
Our Christmas party is on this Sunday the 19th of December in the Ballyroe
Hotel Tralee. If you would like to attend, please send us your names as soon
as possible as we need to inform the hotel of final numbers.
We will have a 4-course meal and spot prizes. It will cost €20 per adult and
€10 per child. It will be on from 2-6pm.
In addition, we will have our Supporter of the Year Awards. Do you know of a
person, organisation or a service that has been supportive of Deaf issues in
the past year? Has someone contributed to improving the lives of Deaf people
in Kerry? Has access improved in a particular service?
If so, send us their names and we will consider them for an award. The
successful people will be announced at our Christmas party on the 19th of
December and will be presented with a framed certificate, a box of
chocolates and a bottle of wine.
EMERGENCY SMS CALL SERVICE
In 2008, “Hands On” the TV programme for the Deaf community in Ireland
highlighted the problems Deaf people were experiencing in contacting
emergency services. This week, they aired an update from the Department of
Communications, Energy and Natural Resources:
“The new Emergency Call Answering Service for Ireland was launched in late
November this year. The SMS service will be operational in March 2011 and
users will be able to register early next year through the Department of
Communications, Energy & Natural Resources website www.dcenr.gov.ie
As well as this, a dedicated website for the 112 service will also be
established”.
This is great news for the Deaf community in Ireland BUT it is long overdue.
It is shocking in modern Ireland, that Deaf people still cannot access
emergency services. A consultation on handling calls from persons with
disabilities and other possible call handling enhancements was held in
August 2009. The Department expected to finalise its views on the matter in
2010, following discussions with the relevant state and commercial
organisations.
Is the roll out of this service guaranteed for March 2011? Contact your
local TD or Government Minister to ensure this deadline is met and Deaf
people are no longer discriminated and their lives put in danger!!!
NEW FACEBOOK FOR ETHIOPIA DEAF PROJECT AMBO.
Earlier this year, a number of people from the Irish Deaf community
travelled to Ethiopia to work with the Deaf community in Ambo. This trip was
in collaboration with the Vincentian Lay Missionaries. The project will
support and assist the local Deaf community in their efforts to establish a
Centre for the Deaf.
The group has now set up a new facebook page for the project and has
uploaded videos and photographs from their trip. If you are registered with
facebook and would like to view these, go to
www.facebook.com/ethiopiadeafprojectambo
On behalf of the group, we’d like to thank everyone who has supported the
project to date and we will use the facebook page to give updates of any
future development work in Ambo.
DEAF VILLAGE COMPETITION
As many of you will know a new Deaf Village will be built in the grounds of
St. Joseph’s School for the Deaf in Cabra, Dublin. Up to now the project has
been called the Deaf Village Project. The Catholic Institute for Deaf People
is now inviting the Deaf community and Deaf organisations to suggest an
alternative name for the Village.
The name chosen should reflect the activities that will be located in the
Village- Administration, Heritage, Social, Sports, Education and
Residential. The prize will be a voucher for €300 and there will also be a
second prize of €100.
The final decision on the name for the Village will be referred back to the
Deaf community / organisations at an open meeting in January or February
2011 and the name to be used will be reached by consensus. There is no limit
to the number of entries per person that can be sent in but each entry must
have the name and address of the person sending in the entry or else it will
not be accepted.
Entries for the competition will close on the 14th of January 2011 and
should be sent to: Nuala Byrne, CIDP, 40 Lwr Drumcondra Rd, Dublin 9
Fax: 01-8825541 Email: [email protected]
OUR CONTACT DETAILS:
Kerry Deaf Resource Centre
4 Gas Tce, Tralee
Mobile (text): 087 633 4687
E-mail: [email protected]
www.kerrydeaf.com
www.facebook.com/kerrydeaf
Fax: 066 712 0386
Tel: 066 712 0399