Mary Immaculate College, Dr Noel O’Connell, and Professor Jim Deegan as the first Head of Graduate School, MIC.
Photo: Brian Gavin Press 22
A MARY Immaculate College PhD graduate has been awarded a prestigious Government of Ireland Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme to research how to understand and improve the quality of education and social life for deaf people.
Dr Noel O’Connell, who is a member of the deaf community, will work on a research project entitled ‘Belonging: An auto ethnography of a life in sign language’.
He is the first successful MIC applicant for the Fellowship scheme.
“I am delighted and honoured to have been awarded the Government of Ireland postdoctoral research funding by the Irish Research Council. It is a fantastic opportunity to work on an area of research that has received almost no attention and is, therefore, a timely study that renders voice to the educational experiences of deaf people,” commented Dr O’Connell.
He added that his research will “help inform policy on finding a solution for improving educational outcomes for deaf children”.
“This project has considerable potential to disseminate a number of contributions not only to deaf education but also across disciplines such as disability studies, studies in equality and human rights, special education and issues around inclusion,” he concluded.
Dr O’Connell will commence his research on October 1.
