Talk: Dr John Bosco Conama On Irish Sign Language

To find out more about the fascinating history of Irish Sign Language, join us for this talk by Dr John Bosco Conama, Co-Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin. The Deaf community in Ireland has faced numerous challenges in gaining recognition and in the acceptance of ISL as a legitimate language. For many years, there was a prevailing belief that sign languages were a lesser form of communication and that Deaf individuals should be encouraged to lip-read and speak instead. It wasn't until the 1980s and 1990s that grass roots Deaf organisations began agitating for the recognition of ISL and the rights of the Deaf community. In 2017, the Irish government gave formal recognition to ISL (Irish Sign Language) through the enactment of the Irish Sign Language Act. This Act designates ISL as the community language of the deaf community in Ireland and requires public services to accommodate the use of ISL when interacting with deaf individuals who choose to do so. Schools for the Deaf and other educational institutions have incorporated ISL into curricula, empowering Deaf children to learn and express themselves in their native language. Dr John Conama (Ph.D, M. Litt, BA in social policy) is former Chairperson of the Irish Deaf Society. He is currently Chair of the Irish Sign Language Recognition Campaign.  He is an activist and an academic. He holds a M.Litt in Social Policy (TCD) and a PhD in Equality Studies (UCD); his thesis focused on a comparative policy analysis of signed languages in two countries – Finland and Ireland. Dr. Conama is Co-Director of the Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College, University of Dublin. He was involved in establishing the first certificate level course for Deaf people organised by the Equality Studies Centre, University College Dublin. Dr. Conama was awarded as the Language Ambassador of the Year 2015 awarded by Leargas / Erasmus + for his work on the promotion and preservation of Irish Sign Language. His recent publications have focused on Deaf people in society and social policies affecting Irish Sign Language. Free to attend but booking is required, from the link on this page,