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Deafblindness and its psychosocial impact: lived experiences, human rights and the social work and social care response

Doctoral Training Grant Funding Information

This funding model includes a 36-month funded PhD Studentship, set in-line with UK Research and Innovation values. For 2025/6, this will be £20,780 per year. The tax-free stipend will be paid monthly. This PhD Studentship also includes a Full-Time Home Fee Scholarship for up to 3 years. The funding is subject to your continued registration on the research degree, making satisfactory progression within your PhD, as well as attendance on and successful completion of the Postgraduate Certificate in Research Practice. 

International applicants are reminded, that it if they are successful following interview, they are liable to pay the fee difference between the Home and International Tuition Fee Rate. The tuition fees for new doctoral researchers are listed here.

All applicants will receive the same stipend irrespective of fee status.

Application Closing Date:

Midday (UK Time) on Wednesday 17th September 2025 for a start date of 2nd February 2026.

How to Apply

To apply, please follow the below steps:

  1. Complete the BCU Online Application Form.
  2. Complete the Doctoral Studentship Proposal Form in full, ensuring that you quote the project ID. You will be required to upload your proposal in place of a personal statement on the BCU online application form.
  3. Upload two references to your online application form (at least one of which must be an academic reference).
  4. Upload your qualification(s) for entry onto the research degree programme. This will be Bachelor/Master’s certificate(s) and transcript(s).
  5. International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification. Please see the list of English language qualifications accepted here. Please check the individual research degree course page for the required scores.

Frequently Asked Questions

To help support you to complete your application, please consult the frequently asked questions below:

Project title: Deafblindness and its psychosocial impact: lived experiences, human rights and the social work and social care response

Project Lead: Dr Peter Simcock - Associate Professor of Social Work and Centre Lead: Deafblind UK Centre for Education and Research

Project ID: DBUK1: 46121131

Project description:

The World Federation of the Deafblind (2018) estimates that between 0.2% and 2% of the global population is deafblind. In the UK, around 393,588 people are currently thought to be deafblind, with this number expected to increase to 610,693 by 2035 (Operational Research in Health, 2017). Deafblindness makes it difficult for individuals to rely on one sense to make up for the loss of the other, leading to greater challenges in daily functioning. The psychosocial effects of the condition are reported to be substantial, but our understanding of the psychosocial impact of deafblindness remains limited. This PhD project offers the chance to explore the psychosocial impact of deafblindness/ dual sensory loss and how services can better support and promote the wellbeing and rights of deafblind people. 

Possible areas of investigation include:

  • The social work and social care intervention experiences of individuals living with deafblindness.  
  • The role of social work in supporting individuals living with deafblindness, including the unique and specific social work contribution in the context of multi-disciplinary practice.
  • The role of social work in promoting the human rights of deafblind people.
  • The effectiveness of social work in supporting individuals living with deafblindness, in the context of multi-disciplinary practice.
  • The lived experiences of different ‘sub-groups’ of deafblind people, particularly those with late life acquired deafblindness, those ageing with the condition, and those using tactile communication methods.
  • The lived experiences of deafblind people who identify as LGBT+, deafblind people from black and minority ethic communities, deafblind people in the Global South and deafblind women.
  • Determining and describing effective ways of involving deafblind people, particularly those using tactile communication methods and older people, in primary research as participants, co-researchers and collaborators.
  • The role of assistive technologies in supporting deafblind people.
  • The experiences and needs of deafblind people who need to learn new or change existing communication methods (and the role of social work in supporting such adaptation).
  • Social-haptic communication and its role and potential amongst different groups of deafblind people. 
  • The potentiality of deafblind people and their contribution to their families, communities, and society as a whole.

Anticipated findings and contribution to knowledge:

There is a particular paucity of research exploring the experiences of deafblind people, particularly UK based research, and the field has been described as being in its infancy (Simcock, 2020; Dammeyer, 2015).  Consequently, the impairment is often much misunderstood; this includes by professionals in education, health and social care, policy makers, family, and deafblind people themselves (Simcock et al., 2022). Deafblind people are often excluded from social care research, decision-making processes, development programmes and participation in political and public life (Watharow & Wayland, 2022; Simcock & Wittich, 2019; Jaiswal et al., 2018), contrary to the international goal that ‘no one is left behind’, which underpins the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.  The dearth of research in the field contributes to the invisibility of deafblind people in social welfare policy and practice, and the fact that they are underserved by health and social care services (Simcock, 2020; Roy et al. 2018, World Federation of the Deafblind 2018). It is therefore unsurprising that there have beencalls for better data and further research, in order to inform policy and practice to advance deafblind people’s rights (Simcock & Wittich, 2019).  This PhD project will respond to these calls, illuminating the experiences of this marginalised group and providing initial evidence to services and systems involved in meeting their needs and promoting their rights.

Person specification:

Required:

  •   An Honours degree, that includes an independent research project, in a relevant discipline from a recognised university in the UK or comparable university overseas.
  •   Clear understanding of disability and/or social care/welfare research. 
  •   Commitment to inclusive, participatory and/or co-produced research.

Desirable:

  • A Master’s degree in a relevant discipline from a recognised university in the UK or comparable university overseas
  • Experience of practice in or engagement with deafblind/ sensory impairment or disability settings.

Overseas applicants:

International applicants must also provide a valid English language qualification, such as International English Language Test System (IELTS) or equivalent with an overall score of 6.5 with no band below 6.0.  

Contact:

If you have any questions or need further information, please use the contact details below: 

- For enquiries about the project content, please contact: Dr Peter Simcock peter.simcock@bcu.ac.uk

- For enquiries about the application process, please contact: research.admissions@bcu.ac.uk