HANDS ON

returns to your screens on Sunday 15^th November at 12.30pm, RTÉ1

Hands On, the programme for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities in Ireland is about to kick off its 14^th series on the 15^th November in a brand new time slot at 12.50pm, on RTÉ 1. 

Next Sunday, Hands On explores the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse report, (The Ryan Report) in which the physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect that took place in Ireland’s three schools for the Deaf was revealed.

For the first time, members of the Irish Deaf community speak openly, without concealing their identity, about the abuse they suffered at the schools:  Sexual abuse by supervisors in the dormitory at night, physical abuse in class and even having their hands tied behind their backs to prevent them signing.  Children who attended the Deaf schools were unique in the context of the Ryan Report - their parents had no option but to send their children to Cabra – it was the only place they could get an education. The Catholic Institute for Deaf people makes a formal apology on the programme. 

This is the first of ten programmes in the Hands On series, produced by Mind the Gap Films.

This year the programme will cover a wide range of topics from hearing parents coping with the education and communication decisions they need to make for their deaf children; presenter Sarah Jane Moloney challenging celebs to compete against each other to learn sign language in “Celebrity Sign Off” ; informative items on cancer; marriage equality and the Civil Partnership Bill; to issues in the lives of deaf teenagers – drugs, alcohol, bullying, sex, and peer pressure; unravelling your family tree, and a full account of this year’s 21^st Deaflympics in Taipei, to name but a few!

Join us for the first episode of what is set to be a fantastic series, on Sunday, 15^th November at 12.50, RTE1.