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Output 3: Mentoring families to advocate for inclusion, participation & equality for their deaf youngsters in education &
work. Families feel supported & not alone when educating on the benefits (and limits!) of hearing technologies in varied
settings. Seminars to educate families.
Output 4: Reassuring mainstream educators that everyday smartphones, tablets & laptops can be used by students with
hearing issues & slight tweaking. Results: Educators gain confidence that teaching approaches are similar for students
with/out hearing issues. Awareness that deaf students can attain grades equal to (or better than) hearing peers.
COUNTRY IN WHICH IT WAS DEVELOPED: Ireland
COUNTRY/ COUNTRIES IN WHICH IT IS OPERATING: International
FACTS ABOUT SIZE AND SCOPE
1. The 3,300+ students under 18 attending mainstream schools in Ireland are more visible in terms of accessing infant
hearing and speech services before their free preschool year at age three
2. Newborns in Ireland, since 2011, are entitled to digital hearing aids near birth, and (as needed) to two cochlear
implants from 7 months upwards. Contrast this to the pre-2011 situation where children waited up to five years to
access basic hearing-aids.
3. This open letter to a visionary speech therapist presents many issues Sound Advice addressed,
plus the international connections made.
OUTLOOK
The year 2013 brought an incredible milestone for Sound Advice and its client families: on December 18th, Ireland's
Health Service Executive budget for 2014 included the sum of €3.2 million to start Ireland's pediatric bilateral cochlear
implant programme in Dublin.
L INKS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (WEBSITE , SUPPORTING MATERIAL LIKE YOUTUBE VIDEOS, PUBLICATIONS
ETC.)
%205.1%20conference%20edition2013.pdf