New research centre for deafblindness opens at Birmingham City University

Deafblind UK has opened a research centre to address the issue of dual sensory loss.

The Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research is based at Birmingham City University (BCU) and will connect researchers, practitioners, and people living with deafblindness to increase knowledge about the condition.

It is hoped that the centre will help to build a workforce that can lead deafblind research into the future, Deafblind UK said.

Around 450,000 people are affected by dual sight and hearing loss in the UK, but there is currently little research into the condition.

Speaking about the centre, Labour Party peer Lord David Blunkett, who is blind, said: “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.

“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.”

David Childs, associate professor and head of the College of Education and Social Work at BCU, added: “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.”

The centre, which is the first of its kind in the UK, is open now.

It is run by BCU’s Dr Peter Simcock, associate professor of social work and an ambassador for Deafblind UK.

Deafblind UK chief executive, Nikki Morris, believes that “there is an urgent need to better understand the impact of deafblindness on people and their loved ones.”

She added that “this new centre will help to fill that gap.”

Deafblind UK has worked in partnership with BCU since 2019. The university welcomed its first student cohort to its certificate and diploma in professional studies (deafblind studies) in March 2022.

Lead image: Dr Peter Simcock, associate professor of social work at BCU and lead at the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research; Robert Nolan, chair at Deafblind UK; Nikki Morris, chief executive at Deafblind UK, and David Childs, associate professor and head of BCU’s College of Education and Social Work.