London Calling
What are the work prospects like for Irish Deaf people? Does a move to London for work bring them new opportunities? Can they work at the top of their game?
On Thursday 23rd May, RTE1 will be televising 'London Calling', a documentary about irish deaf people who have moved to the UK for better opportunities. It follows four deaf people who are unemployable in Ireland and have moved to the UK for work. With the UK's 'Access to Work' grant and an overall better attitude to employing deaf people, career opportunities are better. One of the aims of the documentary is to show how this grant has opened so many doors for the deaf people involved in the hope that the Irish government may introduce something similar.
Thomas Mulloy, a past pupil of Mary Hare features in the documentary. Thomas' parents believed he would get a better education and career opportunities in the UK if he did his secondary school education at Mary Hare. Thomas believes that he had a good education at the school which has helped him pursue his career. Thomas now works as a Chief Accountant in London and is married with a baby girl.
The film company visited Mary Hare School during the making of the documentary to film areas of the school that Thomas remembered and to give a flavour of the provision he experienced.