University News Last updated 30 October
鈥淚t鈥檒l be life-changing鈥� 鈥� that鈥檚 how an internationally renowned deafblind athlete has described a new deafblind research centre at 探花直播 (BCU).
Opened last week (23 October), the Deafblind UK Education and Research Centre will connect researchers, practitioners, and people living with deafblindness, to increase knowledge and raise awareness of the condition.
鈥淭his centre is the first of its kind in the UK - and it wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without our partnership with BCU,鈥� said Nikki Morris, CEO of Deafblind UK.
鈥淏CU is a university that is making a difference to those affected by deafblindness, building on trust and integrity with us as a partner.
鈥淲ith 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.鈥�
Deafblind UK reports that nearly 450,000 people in the UK are deafblind - around 6 in every 1,000 individuals. With an ageing population, this number is expected to rise to more than 600,000 by 2030.
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.鈥�
Officially opening the centre was Samantha Gough, a full-time deafblind athlete and content creator, who has captained England鈥檚 blind women football team and is a rower on the GP Power Pathway.
Samantha, a Deafblind UK ambassador, said 鈥淭his is going to be an amazing hub for raising awareness but also build on education and research around deafblindness.
鈥淣ot a lot of people know about deafblindness. People seem to think you鈥檝e got to be deaf or blind, not together.
鈥淚 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.
鈥淭his centre is going to be life-changing for so many people.鈥�
Dr Peter Simcock, Associate Professor of Social Work and Centre Lead at BCU, said the centre鈥檚 work had already begun and would have an impact globally.
鈥淲e鈥檙e involved in an international project exploring the lived experiences of deafblind people across the world,鈥� said Dr Simcock.
鈥淲e鈥檙e also leading a study exploring the social care experiences of deafblind people in Wales and undertaking a review examining the use of 鈥榗ash for care schemes鈥� by deafblind sign language users.
鈥淭his 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.鈥�
Find out more about BCU鈥檚 Health and Social Care research聽here.
Pictured: Dr Peter Simcock, Nikki Morris, Robert Nolan (Chair of Deafblind UK) and Samatha Gough.