Inclusion and deaf education: the perceptions and experiences of young deaf people in Northern Ireland and Sweden

The purpose of the present study is to examine what the concept of inclusion means and how it relates to children who are deaf. The paper begins with a background to deaf education, followed by specific reference to how inclusion is perceived in Northern Ireland and in Sweden. It investigates the experiences and opinions of deaf pupils in Schools for the deaf in both countries where different educational philosophies and forms of instruction prevail. A qualitative approach was adopted in which interviews were conducted with deaf pupils who were in their last school year, had left school recently or were in post-compulsory education. The results indicated that Swedish respondents described their experiences markedly more positively than those in Northern Ireland. The main reason for this was the encouragement of a deaf cultural environment where sign language was used by teachers and pupils for instruction and social interaction throughout the school. Although such a culture was not in evidence in Northern Ireland, positive experiences reported by respondents were associated with sign language and a deaf classroom assistant to facilitate comprehension between teachers and pupils. Implications are drawn for effective, inclusive practice in educational settings of deaf children.