REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE KERRY DEAF RESOURCE CENTRE
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE KERRY DEAF RESOURCE CENTRE TRALEE, CO. KERRY FRIDAY, 10TH DECEMBER
Cuireann sé áthas ar mo chroí bheith anseo libh inniu agus tá mé buíoch díbh go léir as an chuireadh agus as fáilte fíorchaoin a chur sibh romham.
It is a great pleasure for me to join you here today to officially open the Kerry Deaf Resource Centre. I know that in a way, what we are celebrating is not a birth, but a re-birth, because of course the Kerry Deaf Centre provided services for over 18 years to the people of Kerry. Even more remarkably, it did so on a completely voluntary basis. It took a great deal of determination, of sheer persistence, of refusal to give up hope last year when the centre had to close down. And those efforts paid off through your success in getting this new, improved resource centre off the ground. The people of Kerry are very fortunate to have so many people who care, who campaigned for this day, who were willing to get involved and make it happen. I would like to mention in particular, all of the members of the Committee of the Kerry Deaf Club, who with the assistance of The Kerry Network of People with Disabilities, the Irish Deaf Society, the National Association for Deaf People, and many local organisations, deserve our heartfelt thanks. Your generosity of spirit and tireless voluntary efforts are a very clear answer to those who wonder out loud if we are becoming more cynical as a society. There are many people who do care, who keep on caring, for no other reward than knowing that their work does make a difference to the lives of so many people.
Growing up in Ireland as one of a family of nine children, one of whom - my brother John - is profoundly deaf, has given me some understanding of the sense of exclusion and loneliness which is the experience of so many deaf people. You would think that in such a large family it would be hard to feel lonely or isolated - yet it happened so easily, so thoughtlessly even today I am embarrassed by it. My abiding memory is of John arriving home and always tugging my elbow as the rest of us gabbled and laughed - saying excuse me - remember me - I am here too.
We organise our lives, our education systems, our services – almost every aspect of policy making – around the fact that most of us have no disability. Those who do live with disability, are forced to remind us that they are here, that they exist, that they have particular needs and basic rights. They are forced to tug elbows day and daily. This applies especially to people who are deaf, whose disability is not always obvious and whose needs, therefore, are easier to ignore.
We owe it to ourselves and to future generations to ensure that this situation is not permitted to continue. We need to shape our world, the decisions we take, the policies we make, in a way that takes account spontaneously of people with disabilities, their existence and their needs, without requiring constant reminders.
Sadly, we are not yet at that point. Generations of deaf men and women have gone to their graves, isolated, marginalised, under-educated and under-achieving because their silent world did not make enough noise in the world of the hearing. Today they are being heard. Today the deaf world is revealing itself and demanding its right to be part of the mainstream. If we fail to enable people who are deaf to make the most of their talents, to participate as equals in our society, to have the encouragement, facilities and education to do so – that is not only a personal tragedy for them, it also immeasurably impoverishes society as a whole. In creating a world in which those talents are unlocked, those gifts allowed to bloom, we will all be the richer for it.
I think of the young woman Julie Graham, the first profoundly deaf student to enter Queen’s University, Belfast just four years ago. There was such scepticism, such debate about her ability to cope. She emerged this year with a First Class Honours Degree in English and was named Student of the year. How many more such stories are there out there just waiting for their opportunity to be created.
In the meantime, facilities such as this Resource Centre provide a lifeline to many deaf people and their families – from advice and support, to sign language and interpretation classes, to information on technical aids and equipment. It is important for deaf people to have a culturally sensitive place to come to in which they and their needs are not unusual, where people understand their concerns, where they can share stories, build friendships, grow in self-confidence. The Centre’s work in raising awareness of those needs within the wider community – and in ensuring that deaf people have a real say in the decisions that affect them – is equally important. It brings us one step closer to building a truly inclusive society, in which difference is approached not in fear, but with a joyful sense of curiosity towards the wonderful gifts which deaf people have to offer all of us, if we are only willing to give them the opportunity.
I congratulate you all once again on your exceptional achievement in re-opening this new centre. I would also like to commend the Department of Health and Children for their funding both of the Centre and the employment of Willie White as Co-ordinator and Sign Language Interpreter. I know that you have many plans to expand these services and I wish you every success in the future.
Is iontach an obair atá ar siúl agaibh agus guím rath Dé air sa todhchaí. Go raibh maith agaibh.