Deafblind UK and Birmingham City University announce education and research centre

Birmingham City University (BCU) announced the launch of a new research centre as part of an ongoing partnership with Deafblind UK. The Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research, based at BCU, will connect people living with combined vision/hearing loss with researchers and clinicians. The centre is an extension of the partnership Deafblind UK and BCU established in 2019. In March 2022, BCU welcomed its first cohort of students in the Certificate and Diploma in Professional Studies (Deafblind Studies) programme, launched in collaboration with Deafblind UK and a consortium of charities.

The centre will help people with deafblindness to access resources and research programmes. According to a news release, it will serve to increase awareness of deafblindness, and will equip junior researchers with knowledge and skills to become future leaders in deafblindness research and in clinical practice.

The spectrum of deafblindness encompasses a range of pathologies and experiences; some people may have mild vision and hearing loss, and others may experience total loss of vision or hearing. Around 450,000 people are affected by sight and hearing loss in the UK, the press release noted, which indicates that deafblindness is far more common than many realise.

David Childs, an associate professor and the head of the College of Education and Social Work at BCU, said, “This Centre will be a game changer in how we understand more about deafblindness and what we can do to make the lives of all those affected better. The research undertaken in this area is shockingly low. The new Centre won’t just meet the knowledge gap, it will be an important beacon of hope to those affected by dual sensory loss.”

From left to right: Dr Peter Simcock, Associate Professor of Social Work at Birmingham City University and Centre Lead, Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research; Robert Nolan, Chair at Deafblind UK; Nikki Morris, CEO at Deafblind UK; David Childs, Associate Professor, Head of College of Education and Social Work at Birmingham City University. Photo courtesy of Deafblind UK.

David Blunkett, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, has been blind since birth due to a genetic disorder. Lord Blunkett commended the launch of the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research. “A great deal is known about sensory challenges for blind people and those with profound deafness, but much less about the dual challenges that deafblind people encounter on a daily basis,” he said in the news release. “This Centre will make an important contribution—both to greater understanding and public awareness to the ways in which social and technological innovation can assist in the future.”

Addressing unique challenges of living with deafblindness is a step forward in inclusivity. “Frustratingly, there are often adjustments in place for those who are deaf or blind,” said Deafblind UK member Ricky Blair. “People often forget that many people have to grapple with both disabilities simultaneously.”

Reference

1. ‘Game changing’ Deafblind UK research centre to launch at Birmingham City University. News release. Deafblind UK. Published January 27, 2025. Accessed January 27, 2025.