The Irish Deaf Society (IDS) is the national representative organisation of the Deaf community in Ireland. It upholds the status of Irish Sign Language (ISL), which is the first and preferred language of Deaf people in Ireland. The Society, a growing and vital organization,[3] provides a number of specific health, personal and social services to deaf adults, children and their families.
The IDS seeks to enhance the standard of living and quality of life for all Deaf people. The Society recognizes that the Deaf have traditionally faced the threats of poverty, limited employment opportunities, and other difficulties because of the lack of public understanding or appreciation for their essential needs.[citation needed] Therefore, their mission statement reads:
The Irish Deaf Society as Ireland's National Association OF the Deaf, strives to highlight the societal needs of all sections in the Deaf community, advocates the human rights of the Deaf through empowerment and achieve equal access in all aspects of life endowed by the full Irish citizenship. The empowerment and equality shall be through upholding the status of Irish Sign Language and its related culture and norms[4]
^LeMaster, Barbara (2003). "8. School Language and Shifts in Irish Deaf Identity". In Monaghan, Leila; Schmaling, Constanze; Nakamura, Karen; et al. (eds.). Many Ways to be Deaf: international variation in deaf communities. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University. p. 166. ISBN1-56368-135-8. In my most recent visit during the summer of 2000, I found the IDS to be a growing and vital organization.
