BSL teachers: reminder that our BSL Linguistics for Teachers CPD course is open for registration. 🗓 Deadline: 12 February 2026. Places are limited. Full details and booking info below 👇

We’re resharing staff and student achievements from our 2025 end-of-year newsletter, including promotions, research funding and PhD completions. www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

We’re launching a new CPD course: BSL Linguistics for Teachers. This update shares our plans for the BSL GCSE and the CPD courses being developed to support BSL teachers. Find out more and register: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

DeafATW and RNID are collecting evidence on Access to Work – including budget cuts and renewal issues. If you’re deaf, deafblind or have hearing loss and have used or applied for AtW since Oct 2024, please take or share this survey: connect.deafatw.com/ty/cl/eyJ2Ij...

🔍 Job opportunity: Research Assistant (50% FTE, 36 months) on an AHRC-funded project exploring multilingual experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the UK and Germany. Based at the University of Leeds. jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

New lay summary release! Dr Joanna Atkinson shares the development of the first screening test for detecting cognitive impairment and dementia in deaf signers: the British Sign Language Cognitive Screening Test (BSL CST). youtu.be/pm_TbR77wAc

Our DCAL 2025 Christmas Newsletter is out now 🎄 Read the newsletter and watch the BSL videos here: mailer.ucl.ac.uk/7SWP-2ECWZ-3... Thank you for your continued support. Wishing you a peaceful festive break and a positive New Year.

Congratulations to Brennan Terhune-Cotter on receiving a Newton International Fellowship from the Royal Society! He’ll be with us at DCAL until Nov 2027, working on neural mechanisms of reading in deaf adults: fingerspelling. royalsociety.org/news/2025/11...

Deadline extended to Friday 5 December. UCL DCAL is recruiting a PhD researcher on tactile BSL and DeafBlind communication. DeafBlind applicants especially encouraged. Apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

New lay summary! Dr Matt Brown shares key findings from his PhD on how BSL expresses “and”/“or” through signs, facial expressions, body movement and space and why this matters for linguistics, pragmatics, and deaf children’s language development. 🎥 youtu.be/6FbIw9aAslo

Some of our colleagues at DCAL attended the British Library’s Family Festival: Imaginary Worlds on Saturday 22nd November, where we hosted a DCAL stall. We had a fantastic time meeting everyone!

PhD opportunity at UCL on tactile BSL & DeafBlind communication. 3-year FT / 5-year PT, £27k stipend, start Feb 2026. UK students only. Deadline: 1 Dec 2025. More info + how to apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

Last call for the Bencie Woll Prize – apply by 8 December. £500 award for early-career researchers with a BSL-focused publication from the last two years. Send your CV, 500-word summary and publication link to [email protected]. Deaf researchers encouraged to apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

There’s still time to apply for the Deaf in AI & Technology workshop. The deadline’s this Sunday, 23 November. Re-sharing in case you haven’t seen it yet.

Meet Vernon, a final-year university student in Biomedical Sciences, who shares his internship experience at DCAL. His week at DCAL gave him insight into research, brain imaging, and better clarity about his future career - youtu.be/ylHW99wRuT8

In our next #AcademicSpotlightSeries, Prof. Kearsy Cormier shares her journey from studying ASL linguistics in Texas to leading DCAL. Her 20+ years at UCL exploring BSL structure, use & brain processing have shaped sign linguistics. Watch her story: youtu.be/7Pkq-qUpkUc?...

We’re joining the British Library’s Family Festival: Imaginary Worlds on Sat 22 Nov (12–4pm). Visit DCAL’s Fingerspelling Space Race to race friends and test your BSL skills. More info: events.bl.uk/events/famil...

Deaf in AI & Technology workshop – 9 Dec 2025, London. Find details and apply at www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

PhD Opportunity at UCL – Tactile Sign Language & DeafBlind Communication. Funded PhD at DCAL exploring tactile BSL and DeafBlind interaction. UK only. Deadline 1 Dec 2025. www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

Join UCL’s DCAL as a Research Assistant on the Tactile Language Project – exploring protactile and tactile forms of BSL with deafblind people across the UK. Full-time, 18 months. Apply by 17 Nov 2025 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

New paper with Evelyne Mercure: hearing children of deaf mothers learn sign and speech – showing bimodal bilingualism as enriching and adaptive. 🔗 cambridge.org/core/journals/bilingualism-language-and-cognition/article/BB899E0B4FCB32AE0DEF5D160F2EA4AA

In our latest #AcademicSpotlightSeries, Dr Kate Rowley, deaf scholar & Deputy Director at DCAL, shares her inspiring journey from Deaf Studies to PhD, exploring sign linguistics, deaf culture & accessibility in education. Watch her story: youtu.be/BOSXQ6KwMiU

Applications open for the Bencie Woll Prize 2025 — celebrating top research in BSL linguistics. Early-career researchers welcome. £500 + talk at DCAL. Apply by 8 Dec: [email protected] 🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc... #BSL #DeafResearch

Recruiting deaf adults from Greater London (under 35yo) for a new focus group series (interpreters provided!) Help identify priorities and best practices for future research with deaf children & receive £200 for your time! Email Victoria at [email protected]

Thanks to everyone who joined us for #DCALx 2025 last week! Inspiring talks, great conversations, and a brilliant evening celebrating BSL, literacy & cognition. We can’t wait for the next one! ✨

Exciting news – Kate Rowley has been awarded a £1.4M European Research Council (ERC) grant (#ERCStG | @erc.europa.eu) for a 5-year project on tactile BSL in the UK. Starts Jan 2026. 🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

Join us for #DCALx 2025 – an evening of bite-sized talks in BSL exploring sign language, literacy & cognition 📚🧠✨ 🗓 4 Sept | 🕕 6–8pm | 📍 UCL London Free & fully accessible 🔗 www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

‘No evidence’ BSL harms speech or literacy – instead, early sign boosts language, memory and more! Hats off to @liamodell.com for the scoop. Read the full report: liamodell.com/2025/07/19/e...

💬 Powerful voices, proud community. We were thrilled to attend the BDA Conference and see so many brilliant people – from passionate presenters to an engaged audience. A celebration of deaf identity, advocacy, and connection. 📸 Photos by Charlie Swinbourne – thank you!

🎉 The Bencie Woll Prize is open for applications! Celebrating excellence in linguistic research on British Sign Language. 🔗 Apply by 8 Dec: www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

Hi! I’m Zahra Nawab, a deaf PhD student at UCL. I’m looking for participants for my research on language, thinking & emotions in deaf adults. Interested or know someone who might be? Get in touch: [email protected] For more information, please watch this video: youtu.be/Iw-TiANQpY0

Exciting news! DCAL & UCL IOE launching CPD courses in early 2026 to help deaf teachers prepare to teach the new BSL GCSE in secondary schools. Please contact: [email protected] youtu.be/rBbO4VFchS0

SignGPT is a 5-year EPSRC-funded project by Uni of Surrey, UCL DCAL & Oxford, building AI tools with the deaf community. We're a deaf/hearing team looking for more deaf BSL signers to join us! youtu.be/_UMIBhgEQDI

Discover UCL this July! A free summer school for deaf and hard of hearing students - with BSL interpreters, live captioning, and a chance to explore university life. Apply now by Monday 10th June.

Watch Kearsy Cormier revisit her highly cited 2015 paper on constructed action in BSL, co-authored with Sandra Smith & Zed Sevcikova. She explains what it is, why it matters & how it ranges from role-shifts to facial expressions. youtu.be/2MbdKpP4RHY?...

Watch Kearsy Cormier revisit her highly cited 2015 paper on constructed action in BSL, co-authored with Sandra Smith & Zed Sevcikova. She explains what it is, why it matters & how it ranges from role-shifts to facial expressions. youtu.be/2MbdKpP4RHY?...

Happy Deaf Awareness Week! Check out our online course: Deaf Awareness: Working and Communicating Well with Deaf People. Build practical skills & learn at your own pace—no experience needed. Sign up here: www.ucl.ac.uk/short-course...

Today we mark National BSL Day – celebrating the BSL Act 2022, recognising British Sign Language across England, Scotland and Wales. We stand with the Deaf community in pushing for real accessibility and equality. ✊ #NationalBSLDay #BSLAct #DeafRights

The Bencie Woll Prize is open to early-career researchers (within 7 years of PhD or Master’s) whose work on BSL linguistics has been published in the last 2 years as a first or solo author. Applications close end of May 2025! Full details here: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/news/20...

We had an amazing time at Deaf Day 2025! 🧡 Thanks to everyone who came by the DCAL stand to chat, learn about our research, and get involved. #DeafDay #DCAL #DeafCommunity #UCL

Are you deaf and interested in research or professional services? DCAL is offering paid one-week placements! Gain hands-on experience in a world-class centre. Apply by 30 April 2025. 📅 Find out more & apply: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/news/20... #Deaf #BSL #Internship #UCL

I’m Zahra Nawab, a deaf PhD student at UCL researching language deprivation in deaf adults. If you’re a clinician with 2+ years’ experience in adult deaf mental health, I’d appreciate it if you could complete my survey on identifying language deprivation. qualtrics.ucl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_...

We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Doug Alker. His leadership in the BSL recognition campaign in 2003 had a lasting impact on DCAL’s work. Thank you, Doug, for your tireless advocacy for BSL and the Deaf community. youtu.be/D_V9oIrvQpI

🚨 One month to go Are you deaf and interested in linguistics, psychology or cognitive neuroscience? Apply for a paid internship at DCAL, UCL – gain valuable experience at a world-leading research centre. Deadline: 30 April 2025 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/news/20...

🏆 Have you published impactful research on British Sign Language in the past 2 years? Apply for the Bencie Woll Prize and stand out in the field of sign language linguistics. Winner receives £500 and the opportunity to present their work at DCAL. Details: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/news/20...

Curious about what we do at DCAL? From world-class research to accessible resources for the deaf community, it’s all here. Explore our work, meet the team, and get involved: www.ucl.ac.uk/pals/researc... #DeafResearch #BSL #UCL

DCAL staff wish you a Happy Sign Language Week! 💙🤟 #SLW2025 #SignLanguageWeek

For #SignLanguageWeek, we’re revisiting a previous lay summary on language impairments in sign development. Do these impairments depend on modality, or are they broader linguistic deficits? Watch Clive Mason interview Bencie Woll to find out! #SLW2025 youtu.be/qwJv-fpK17U

As part of Sign Language Week, we’re revisiting our lay summary on BSL indicating verbs! Findings suggest these verbs blend morphemic and gestural elements, with modification influenced by factors like constructed action. #SignLanguageWeek #SLW2025 www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGwV...

Happy Sign Language Week! We are sharing lay summaries this week, starting with the importance of developing sign language technologies that benefit the deaf community and highlighting the need for collaboration with deaf individuals. #SignLanguageWeek www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcAO...