Remarks by President McAleese At the Official Opening of The Midland Deafness Resource Centre
Remarks by President McAleese At the Official Opening of The Midland Deafness Resource Centre Wednesday, 18 July, 2001
Tá lucháir mhór orm bheith anseo libh inniu, agus ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a chur in iúl díbh don fáilte a raibh fíor, fairsing agus flaithiúil.
It is a source of particular pleasure for me to be here with you today for the launch of the National Association for Deaf People’s new service for the deaf and hard of hearing people, in partnership with the Midland Health Board and I would like to thank Sandra O’Brien for the kind invitation.
As some of you will already know, I share a very special personal interest in facilities and services for the hearing impaired arising from my own family experience. I am also, like you, aware of the many difficulties that face deaf people in their everyday lives, difficulties that the hearing community is often oblivious to. The ability to communicate is at the very centre of our being and something we take very much for granted. Deafness, or hearing impairment, strikes at the heart of this process of communicating and can all to often have the effect of cutting people off from the hearing world, in particular children, presenting huge challenges to family and support services alike. Thankfully today there is a greater understanding of the nature of language and communication and when combined with early diagnosis, effective educational support and advances in technology we have seen the dawn of improvement in the opportunities for deaf people, of all ages, allowing a new generation to blossom more fully than before, to develop the whole person as is the right of each and every one of us.
There is a very long road yet to travel before we can say with conviction that those with hearing problems are fully included in all the opportunities and choices that life has to offer but much has been done, much has been achieved and there is a new mood of optimism about what the future may hold. Thanks is due in no small part to organisations such as the National Association for Deaf People who work tirelessly to provide the very best of services for deaf and hearing impaired people and to help increase public awareness of the complex needs of the deaf community. The launch of this resource centre today represents another major achievement in the provision of locally based, close to home services. The days of being able to avail of services only in major urban areas such as Dublin, Cork and Belfast are fast disappearing and much credit is due to the Statutory Agencies for making services truly accessible. These things matter. They open up lives. They make a big difference. They can change lives for the better. Our hope is that they will - that this new facility sends a message to our deaf brothers and sisters that they are not forgotten, they are cared about and that we want them to achieve their fullest potential, to enjoy life, to have real choices in their lives.
I would like to commend each and every one of you who embarked on the journey to bring this important project to fruition, through relentless and sustained hard work, determination and commitment. You deserve our sincere thanks for a job well done. You have shown that you form part of a caring society, an example to everyone. I have no doubt that the Midland Deafness Resource Centre will provide an excellent service to the people of Offaly and many more from Laois, Westmeath and Longford and it now gives me great pleasure to declare the Centre officially open.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.