2008 sees the first ever Signing Week which is being organised by the Irish Deaf Society.  The week has been designed to highlight the issues which effect Ireland’s Deaf Community, a community of up to 60,000 people. 

In Ireland today, there is little understanding amongst the wider public of how to communicate with the Deaf, of their culture and language (Irish Sign Language).  The Irish Deaf Society would like to seek better recognition of this unique group to help this community prosper in the coming years. 

Key issues which effect the Deaf community in Ireland include low levels of literacy resulting in poor job prospects and poverty; lack of recognition of their mother tongue - Irish Sign Language - and a general lack of support from the Irish Government.  A massive 80% of the Deaf community have a low level of literacy skills and the Irish Deaf Society strives to gain recognition of sign language by the Irish Government. 

Educational disadvantage and associated low paid, low status jobs are identified as strong factors explaining poverty in the Deaf community.  Rather than the workplace being a place of emancipation for Deaf adults, it is a place of low pay, poor prospects and considerable isolation. 

Irish Sign Language (ISL) is a sign language unique to and at the grassroots of Irish Deaf Community’s culture and is considered an intricate part of how this community operates.  Despite there being 60,000 being effected by deafness in Ireland, there is still no recognition of Irish Sign Language by the Irish Government. 

The Irish Deaf Community considers this recognition to be a fundamental human right of the Irish Deaf community.