Deafblind centre aims to change lives
A deafblind man reads the braille sign at the entrance to the research centre
“It’ll be life-changing” – that’s how one deafblind athlete has described a new research hub at Birmingham City University (BCU).
The Deafblind UK Education and Research Centre, opened last week, will connect researchers, practitioners, and people living with deafblindness to increase knowledge and raise awareness of the condition.
This institution is the first of its kind in the UK.
Nikki Morris, CEO of Deafblind UK, said: “With this centre we can answer questions and come up with innovations that will make the world of deafblindess and those affected by it, a better place to be.”
Nearly 450,000 people in the UK are deafblind – around six in every 1,000 individuals. This number is expected to rise to more than 600,000 by 2030.
Deafblind athlete Samantha Gough, who captained England’s blind women football team and is a para rower, opened the centre.
She said: “This is going to be an amazing hub for raising awareness but also build on education and research around deafblindness.
“Not a lot of people know about deafblindness. People seem to think you’ve got to be deaf or blind, not together.
“I want to use my platform to spread awareness that dual sensory loss affects hundreds of thousands of people, but also to share my journey living with sight and hearing loss. This centre is going to be life-changing for so many people.”
Dr Peter Simcock, associate professor of social work and centre lead at BCU, said work had already begun and would have an impact globally: “We’re involved in an international project exploring the lived experiences of deafblind people across the world.
“We’re also leading a study exploring the social care experiences of deafblind people in Wales and undertaking a review examining the use of ‘cash for care schemes’ by deafblind sign language users. This centre also has a pivotal role in equipping junior researchers and the future workforce with the knowledge and skills to become future leaders in deafblind research and practice.”
Deafblind UK partnered with BCU in 2019 to launch the Certificate and Diploma in Professional Studies (Deafblind Studies), the first of its kind in the UK.