Message from Kathleen Grehan, Director of Dot Sign Language

This is a very difficult time for us all with uncertainty and change happening in all aspects of our lives. The drastic but necessary Government decision to close all schools and colleges and the advice for many of us to self-isolate and for all to cut out any unnecessary travel will have a huge impact on everyday life. It seems that it will be many months before our lives will return to normal.

Most of our teaching venues are now closed, and at those that are it is impossible for our teachers to continue delivering face-to-face lessons and taster sessions…. But there are alternatives!

The Dot team, which consists of myself and a small number of part-time workers will be using the online teaching facility Zoom, a conferencing service.

All Dot Sign Language Students have been emailed a step by step guide to using Zoom. Class groups will be emailed individually to let you know what will happen in your specific class. Do not worry if this is new to you, we are here to support you.

You will also be sent learning resources such as videos of your teacher signing, PowerPoints and homework.

We are also in discussions with Signature regarding future assessments. Signature has agreed to reschedule assessments wherever necessary, free of charge. We are also exploring the possibility of doing assessments online.

We appreciate that for some students online lessons and assessments maybe impossible and we will endeavour to find alternative means for these students.

Please feel free to contact us by email with any questions you may have and we will do our best to answer your concerns, as soon as possible. Please bear in mind that our team are now all working from home and are also coping with child care.

Thank you for your patience and understanding at this increasingly difficult time.