Tomas Gerrard: Find out more about READY, a major research study on young deaf people

Are you concerned about the future for deaf young people? Read on to find out about the READY study, a research project with ambitious plans to shape government policy, help services plan better to meet young people’s expectations, and improve our understanding of what will help future generations to thrive. 

What has the study found out so far? There is a short report in English and BSL on this page: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/thereadystudy/publications/wave1_2020report/wellbeing/ 

The study is still looking for more people to sign up.  You can do so here (information in BSL and English): https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/thereadystudy/for-young-people/  

Deaf and hard of hearing young people are running many of the study’s interviews themselves.

This is Tomas’s story…

I became a Young Deaf Researcher for the READY study in early 2020.  At a training weekend (pre-Covid) held by the Social Research with Deaf People (SORD) team, based at the University of Manchester, I finally met my fellow researchers.

I was immediately impressed with the diversity of deaf people the READY team had managed to recruit. There was a healthy mix of BSL, SSE, and spoken English amongst us. Some, like me, could use all three; some only spoken English.

A considerable amount of effort had gone into ensuring all our communication needs were met during the weekend. It was every deaf person’s dream – in a single room there were three interpreters (all with yellow badges, can you imagine?), ensuring BSL, SSE and spoken English were on the go at all times, one electronic notetaker with a large visual display screen, typing what was said, and a SoundField amplification system.

Throughout the weekend, the READY team constantly checked in to make sure that everyone had good access to the information that was being shared. It was clear from the offset that this was a project dedicated to improving the lives of ALL young deaf people, including us.  

But what exactly is the READY project? Who are these people providing the fully accessible training? Why are they training us? 

READY stands for Recording Emerging Adulthood in Deaf Youth. The study, funded by NDCS, aims to follow at least 200 young deaf people over five years in order to understand more about the different pathways they take after the age of 16.

The READY project is not just interested in things like education or employment though, they are also interested in social circles, mental wellbeing, and independence. It is a truly unique study, nothing on this scale has been done before in the UK.

I believe it is a study the deaf community across the UK desperately needs. My fellow young deaf researchers and I are proud to be a part of the study team, and looking forward to the challenges ahead – helping with publicity, recruitment and retention, interviewing participants, contributing to data analysis, and more. It’s shaping up to be a great experience for us all, professionally and personally. 

Not enough is known about young deaf people in our constantly evolving modern society. Increased visibility and recognition of the importance of sign language, coupled with early detection of deafness, and advances in hearing technologies make us a generation like no other.

I consider myself a privileged young man, having been raised in a Deaf family with healthy ties to the hearing community. I have achieved a degree and gone on to develop my professional skills. I am aware, though, that other deaf young people may not have the same access to resources and contacts as I have.

Yet, questions like ‘Where am I going?’ ‘Will I be good enough for the next opportunity that presents itself?’, ‘Will there be a ‘next opportunity’ for me?’, ‘Will I be able to cope?’ still plague my existence.

As most deaf people know, we face a constant, draining, uphill battle with the ableist society we live in. To get a taste of what my life could have turned out like, I only need to look back to the older generations in my family who were doomed to failure by an education system shaped by the infamous 1888 Milan Conference. 

This is what the READY study is for, to understand more about the choices we all make as young deaf people, to find some answers over the five years of the study and to present the results to those with the clout to make a lasting and positive change. To provide all of us with a better understanding of the support that we need and deserve to be provided with. 

I cannot provide a full answer to the ‘Where are we going?’ question that has perplexed even Socrates and Plato armed with a full flagon of wine.  However, I can offer you the assurance that we are headed into an improved society as a result of our combined efforts here at the READY study. 

Do YOU know any deaf or hard of hearing people who might like to sign up?  Find more information in BSL and English here: https://sites.manchester.ac.uk/thereadystudy/for-young-people/

Check to see if you are eligible to take part: https://is.gd/ready2020 Recruitment closes 30th June 2021.