Research News Last updated 06 January
Two researchers from Birmingham City University (BCU) were invited to the House of Commons for a roundtable event to discuss Deafblindness.
Among those in attendance were Dr Peter Simcock and Claire Manford from BCU’s newly opened Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research.
There were also representatives from the charity Deafblind UK, as well as Sir Stephen Timms, Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, and Andrew Pakes MP.
The event (21 October 2025) involved discussions on several long-standing challenges facing deafblind people, including:
- Failures to practically meet legal duties set out in the Care Act 2014 for deafblind people;
- Ongoing, inappropriate reliance on single-sensory services;
- A lack of tailored support for younger deafblind people;
- Lack of data, evidence and specialist research;
- The need for deafblind people to have a voice at every level including policy development, service design and evaluation.
“Deafblind people are entitled to specialist, informed support that recognises the complexity of their lives,” said Dr Simcock, Associate Professor of Social Work and Centre Lead for the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research.
“These discussions show what is possible when expertise, lived experience and political will come together.”
Deafblind UK reports that nearly 450,000 people in the UK are deafblind - around six 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.
“This was an inspiring day and a real privilege to bring positive change for deafblind people,” said Manford, a BCU Research Assistant.
“I hope that our work at the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research can contribute to improving lives, access to care and legal rights of people affected by the condition.”
Find out more about the Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research.
Pictured (left to right): Jon Ried (Deafblind UK), Dr Saima Rajasingam, (Anglia Ruskin University), Dr Peter Simcock (BCU) and Claire Manford (BCU)