College for deaf to close (UK)

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cjester27

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/3450713.stm

From BBCNews:
College for deaf to close

Students and staff at a college for the deaf in Derby are devastated by a decision to close it down, a college official says.

The college is closing down in September 2004. Students and staff at a college for the deaf in Derby are devastated by a decision to close it down, a college official says. The Derby College for Deaf People will shut in September 2004 after a critical Ofsted inspection gave it a poor performance rating.

The college bursar Tony Quipp told BBC News that the board of governors had no choice because of an enrolment freeze imposed after the March 2003 Ofsted inspection.

He said: "It takes £3m to run the college, and we need 75 to 80 students to fund it properly, but we are left with only 55 students after the freeze was imposed after the inspection.

'Big blow'

"The long-term problem is that you cannot have a college without students."

A follow-up Ofsted inspection before Christmas said the college had made "reasonable progress" but since then that rating has been downgraded to "limited progress"

"That was a really big blow to us and a nail in the coffin, " Mr Quipp said.

"It was an absolute disaster as we will be left with only 28 students by September 2004," the bursar said.

"The students and staff are totally devastated by the decision - they are angry and upset.

Student Guy Orlov told BBC News Online: "I dreamed that I would study at the college and then go onto university, but at the moment I can't see this happening.

"I feel like I have lost control of my future and education - and all my plans have been ruined.

"I am angry that the students were not fully informed before about the future of the college and now we can't do anything to change it," Mr Orlov said.

Mr Quipp added: "The challenge for the learning and skills council is to find the best placements for the students who remain.

"There was not enough consultation at first when the problems were identified at the outset and the freeze imposed."
 
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/3460391.stm

Part 2 of the above story (DPN for the UK? Hope so)

Deaf students battle closure plans

Around 50 students at the Derby College for Deaf People have been demonstrating against its closure.

The teenagers say they are angry about the decision, which was made following a poor OFSTED report.

They held their protest outside the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) offices in St Helen's Street in the city on Wednesday.

The protesters say putting students in mainstream colleges is a bad idea.

Speaking through an interpreter, protester Torea Coker said: "We have formed a strong action group and it's something we will continue to fight.

"We are the deaf community and we will fight for our rights. We will never, ever, give it up."

The college is due to close this September.
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Yes, I heard it from my Deaf Researcher friend, and it is sad knowing I was educated there long time ago, so is my other two schools for the deaf close down in South of England few years ago as well.

I first met Liebling :))) there!!!
 
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RedRum said:
Yes, I heard it from my Deaf Researcher friend, and it is sad knowing I was educated there long time ago, so is my other two schools for the deaf close down in South of England few years ago as well.

I first met Liebling :))) there!!!
Click to expand...

Oh my god, I can´t beleive when I read!
It´s really sad to know.
Yeah, RedRum I remember how good times we were there. :)
 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/3478807.stm

Deaf students lose out in closure

Deaf students at Leicester College are facing an uncertain future because their support workers are being made redundant.

The Communication Support Workers help more than 20 students by interpreting into British Sign Language.

The staff are employed by Derby College for Deaf People, to work with students at Leicester College.

The specialist residential college in Derby is closing in July after a critical Ofsted report.

Eileen Hersey, additional support manager at Leicester College said: "The reassurance I can give to the students that are currently here is that they will get the support they need to access their course.

College move

"No student is excluded from applying for a course based on their disability whether it is a hearing impairment or anything else."

Some students from Leicestershire who commute daily to Derby for specialist learning may have to complete their courses at a mainstream college, without the support they need.

Leicester local education authority does not teach sign language in schools.

Their policy is for students to rely on their residual hearing unlike Derby College which concentrates on British Sign Language, the first language for many deaf people.

But, they are offered additional support with interpreters who translate lectures into sign language.

Carey McCarron, communication support worker employed by Derby College Deaf People to work with students in Leicester said: "It is important that students can learn in their preferred language, whatever that may be."

The Learning and Skills Council has given Derby college two years to allow students to finish their courses.
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That's saddening to hear that more and more deaf institutions are closing down. :mad: Just today, I had met up with Miss Delectable at a deaf event in Melbourne - we talked about schools and overseas...and happened to broach on the issue about deaf schools closing down...and not many are available for deaf children nationwide.
Having a totally deaf institution for the deaf is a fantastic thing for deaf children to attend school. At that type of school, there's a miminum chance of being isolated and being treated 'differently' due to deafness, etc.
Mainstreaming schools are good, yes, but for a few areas. But emotionally and socially, us deaf people can be affected -- I'm not saying ALL of them, but a handful who have had trouble getting themselves integerated with the hearing students.

My ex-step son is an anti-social. He doesn't socialise all that much because he's mentally immature for his age and has dropped out of school. He's only 16. :roll: His mother cannot control him nor make him go to school. Bad luck. His future looks very bleak, but that's the mother's problem, not mine nor DH's. ;)
 
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