Deaf Rebels’ mission to boost Irish Sign Language

A trio of Cork friends has set up a new group aimed at fostering skills in Irish Sign Language (ISL) among the local Deaf community.

Keira O’Connell, Emma Barrow and Fiona Landers have founded a group called the Deaf Rebels and hope to meet once a month in the Bodega gastro pub in Cornmarket Street.

The three friends - one hearing and two deaf - hope to create a safe social space where people who have learned ISL can come and practice their skill.

Keira said of ISL: “It’s like any language - if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

Currently, there is a 10-week course held by the Cork Deaf Association every term to teach ISL. However, after the course is complete, it can be hard to find a facility to practice the language.

Keira, an ISL interpreter, explained that if you learn a modern foreign language such as Spanish, you can visit the country to practice and improve your language skills. However, she said, there is no “deaf land” and she added with a smile: “Chasing down deaf people in the street so that you can practice your sign language probably isn’t appropriate.”

As a teenager, Keira was intrigued by a show on television called Hands On. It was the only such programme accessible to deaf people, and it inspired her to complete an ISL 10-week course.

She went on to volunteer in St Columba’s girls’ school in Douglas, which has a facility for deaf children.

Following this, Kiera completed the ISL level one and level two programmes. She then achieved a degree in deaf studies in Dublin and now works as an interpreter.

Keira complained that, except for the 10-week course by the Cork Deaf Association, these courses are now only available online.

In her opinion, this isn’t as efficient as face-to-face courses as ISL is a very visual and physical language, using body movements and facial expressions.

Keira began her ISL journey 23 years ago and highlights the numerous amounts of people that have been trained in ISL since then and have lost the ability to use it.

This is where the idea came from to help people keep up their language skills and increase the use of ISL in society.

Keira said she meets many people through the course of her work that have completed the sign language course, but because of not using it, the language is lost to them.

The founders of Deaf Rebels feel very strongly about increasing the ability of the public to use ISL.

This will help with inclusion and break down barriers so that deaf people are not marginalised.

Keira explained that deaf people can find it harder to connect with others and don’t have as much access to society as the general public do, as there can be a break down in communication.

Areas such as weddings, funerals, job interviews, education, theatre, conferences, religious or family occasions can be very stressful as the deaf person without an interpreter, cannot understand what is being said.

“Imagine being at a funeral of a loved one and not being able to hear the eulogy, it can be very difficult and upsetting,” Keira said.

In 2017, ISL, along with English and Irish, was recognised as an official language in Ireland. As a result, all public bodies are supposed to provide an interpreter when deaf people are using their facilities.

However, Keira stated that this is not always possible as there are only 100 interpreters in Ireland, five of whom reside in Cork.

Also, she says that some state bodies do not realise their responsibility with regards to this and that interpreters are not provided as a result.

The government last year started a voucher system where they pay for an interpreter for five occasions in the year for a deaf person. This enables deaf individuals to participate more fully in social, educational and cultural activities.

Keira states that even though it’s a start, it isn’t enough.

“Imagine all the occasions when things need to be explained, such as doctor or dental appointments, to name but a few.

“We need more supports like this to help with social inclusion and equality for deaf people.”

According to the 2011 census, there are 10,679 deaf and hard of hearing people in Cork. The 2022 census revealed that more than 5% of the population of Ireland experience deafness or some hearing impairment.

It is estimated that for every one deaf person using ISL, there are nine hearing people (family and friends) who also use it.

A unique aspect of ISL is the presence of gendered sign language (men signed differently to women). This was because of segregation in schools where women and men were taught different versions of it.

This has been addressed since 2016 when St Joseph’s and St Mary’s School for the Deaf in Cabra, Dublin, amalgamated into the Holy Family School for the Deaf, where boys and girls are now educated together.

The Deaf Rebels’ first meeting took place in May and, despite not being advertised, 20 people attended. Four of these were deaf people, three were adult children of deaf parents, and the remainder were people who had learned ISL and wanted to practice using it.

Marta Cuesta, a lady who attended the Deaf Rebels meeting, explained that she began learning sign language as she works in Cortado, a coffee shop in the Marina Market.

“There is a deaf couple that call into the coffee shop, and I just want to be able to chat with them like I do with all our customers, so I learned ISL to do this,” she explained.

The Deaf Rebels meetings are important for people of all levels in ISL to practice their language.

If you or someone you know has a knowledge of ISL at any level, this is a perfect opportunity to come and practice your language skills.

The next Deaf Rebel meeting will be held on July 22 at 7pm in the Bodega.

For more information, follow Deaf Rebels on Instagram.