Grant Award: $100,000
Principal Investigator: Walter Wittich, Ph.D.
Institution: Université de Montréal
Co-Investigators: Peter Simcock, Ph.D. Birmingham City University, UK, Leda Kamenopoulou, Ph.D. University College London, UK, Natalina Martiniello, Ph.D. Université de Montréal
Project Summary:
Deafblindness is a unique disability that is under-researched and therefore poorly understood by professionals, policy makers and the wider public. Globally, individuals living with deafblindness are reported to be the most affected by daily barriers, and at highest risk of poverty and exclusion. There are urgent calls for more robust research evidence to inform policy and practice, and for greater international and interdisciplinary collaborations to advance the rights and inclusion of people living with deafblindness. Most research on deafblindness comes from the Global North, and we urgently need more research on deafblindness in the Global South, to better understand how the impairment interacts with multiple factors, such as poverty and social inequality.
We will explore the experiences of adults with congenital or early-onset deafblindness, who may have finished compulsory/formal education, and/or might have had some experience of employment, and/or further studies. We will elicit their views about various aspects of their lives, including their access to education, health care, rehabilitation and social services. We will collect data using an accessible web-based survey and interviews with deafblind people. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and Framework Analysis. The findings will subsequently inform the development of a large-scale collaborative international project that will result in concrete policy recommendations. The main intended outcome of this project is to provide a tangible contribution towards the achievement of the international community’s agreed Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG3 (global goal for Health and Wellbeing), SDG4 (Education) and SDG10 (reduced inequalities).