Centre for Deaf Studies, Dublin facts for kids
The Centre for Deaf Studies is a special part of Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. It's the only university on the island that offers courses about Deaf Studies. This means students can learn all about Deaf culture, Irish Sign Language (ISL), and how to work with the Deaf community.
The Centre used to offer two-year courses in ISL teaching, ISL/English interpreting, and Deaf Studies. Since 2009, they have offered a four-year Bachelor's degree in Deaf Studies. For the first two years, all students follow the same program. In their third and fourth years, they choose to focus on Deaf Studies, interpreting, or teaching.
History of the Centre
The Centre for Deaf Studies started in 2001. This happened after ten years of hard work and campaigning by the Irish Deaf Society. It was first located in Waterloo Lane, Dublin 4.
By 2003, the Centre needed more space. So, it moved to St. Vincent's Centre for the Deaf in Drumcondra, Dublin 9. It stayed there until 2010. In the autumn of 2010, the Centre moved to its current home. This new location is at 7-9 Leinster Street South, a building owned by Trinity College.
The main teachers at the Centre for Deaf Studies are Dr. John Bosco Conama, Ms. Carmel Grehan, Prof. Lorraine Leeson, Ms. Teresa Lynch, Mr. Patrick A. Matthews, and Dr. Sarah Sheridan. Many other expert teachers and colleagues from related departments at Trinity College have also helped teach over the years.
Amazing Research at the Centre
The Centre for Deaf Studies does a lot of important research. Their goal is to help the field of Deaf Studies grow in Ireland.
One big project is called the Signs of Ireland corpus. This is like a huge digital library of Irish Sign Language. It helps teachers and students learn more about ISL. It was also used to write a book about ISL and for many student projects.
Another exciting project is the ISL as a Second Language Acquisition Corpus (SLAC-ISL). This project studies how people learn Irish Sign Language as a second language. It's one of the first projects like this in the world for sign languages!
The Centre also researches many other topics. They look at how to teach and test ISL, and how interpreters work. This includes interpreters in schools, hospitals, and mental health settings. They also study how Deaf children learn ISL at home. Another important area is helping Deaf people find jobs.
The Centre has a special lab called the Applied Sign Linguistics lab. Here, students work on advanced research projects about sign languages.
Laura Sadlier Prizes
The Laura Sadlier Freshman Prize and the Laura Sadlier Sophister Award were created in 2014. These awards honor Laura Sadlier, who made great contributions to the Centre.
These prizes are given out every year. The Freshman Prize goes to first-year students who show big improvements in their ISL skills. It also recognizes students who connect well with the Deaf Community. The Sophister Award goes to third and fourth-year students. This award is for those who achieve academic success, work well with others, and are involved with the Deaf Community.
Meet the Staff
The Centre for Deaf Studies has a dedicated team of staff. They teach students and lead important research projects.
- Director: Dr. John Bosco Conama, Assistant Professor
- Mr. Patrick A. Matthews, Assistant Professor & Coordinator - Bachelor in Deaf Studies
- Professor Lorraine Leeson
- Ms. Carmel Grehan, Assistant Professor
- Ms. Teresa Lynch, Assistant Professor
- Ms. Sarah Sheridan, Assistant Professor
- Mr. Haaris Sheikh, Adjunct Assistant Professor and Doctoral Candidate
- Prof. Terry Janzen, Visiting Professor, University of Manitoba, Canada.
