Tactile Sign Language Research Project

Introduction to the Tactile Sign Language Research Project exploring how language works through touch using tactile BSL.

I’m Kate (sign name + fingerspell). I am a white woman, medium build, with long, wavy hair and a white streak at the front. I am wearing a short black t-shirt with faded black jeans. My background is blue.

Hello and welcome to the Tactile Sign Language Research Project!

My name is Kate Rowley, and I am the lead researcher on this project. You can learn more about me on the Kate Rowley (Principal Investigator) page. I am working together with two great researchers, Heather Abernethy and Harriet Rice.

Our project has one main goal: to better understand how human language works by studying tactile BSL (British Sign Language used through touch).

We already know a lot about how people learn language, how language develops, and how it changes over time. Most of this knowledge comes from studying spoken/written languages and visual sign languages. Researchers have studied spoken languages for hundreds of years, and since the 1960s and 1970s, research on visual sign languages has helped us learn even more.

Four people seated in a small group during a tactile BSL meeting, using hands-on signing. One person gently holds another’s hands while signing, with others observing and participating. They are in a meeting room with artwork on the wall behind them.

Now we want to ask a new question:

What can we learn by studying tactile sign languages?

Tactile sign language is used through touch instead of sight or sound. In this project, we want to understand how language works when it is not seen or heard. How do people express meaning through touch? How do people understand it?

This project is based at the Deafness, Cognition and Language (DCAL) Research Centre at UCL, and we will explore tactile British Sign Language (TBSL) in the UK using several different research methods.

We are really happy you’re here, and we hope this webpage helps you learn more about our work!

I’m Heather. I am a white woman, small build, with long brown hair with highlights, tied up in a ponytail. I am wearing a short black t-shirt with dark black jeans. My background is blue.

Why this research matters

For many Deafblind people, communication through touch is an important part of everyday life. Tactile communication helps people with:

  • Staying socially connected
  • Being independent
  • Taking part in education and work
  • Accessing research, services, and public life

Even though tactile communication is so important, we still know very little about tactile sign language in the UK. By learning more, we can help reduce isolation, support better policies and services, and promote real inclusion for Deafblind people.

Studying tactile language also gives us a chance to explore bigger questions about how human language works:

  • What is language like when it is experienced through touch?
  • How does the brain learn and use a language that is not seen or heard?

These questions are at the heart of our project, and we are excited to explore them.

Tall slim white woman with shoulder length curly hair. I am wearing black T-shirt, black jeans. Stood background blue.

This project will:

1. Learn about how Deafblind people in the UK currently communicate through touch.

We will explore tactile communication in several ways:

  • A survey that will be shared widely
  • One‑to‑one interviews
  • Focus groups
  • Filming Deafblind people communicating with each other in natural settings (for example, at Deafblind events or gatherings)
  • Filming in research settings, including conversations, storytelling, and different communication tasks

All of this will help us understand the different ways Deafblind people use tactile communication in everyday life.

2. Study the environments and social situations that help tactile sign language grow and develop.

To do this, we will run week‑long research camps. At these camps, Deafblind participants will interact with each other every day. We will use video to observe how tactile BSL changes and develops over the week. This will help us learn more about how tactile sign languages form and evolve.

3. Explore how the brain understands language through touch.

We will use neuroimaging (brain scanning) to see what happens in the brain when people perceive tactile sign language. This will help us understand how the brain supports a language that is not seen or heard.

Get involved

We welcome interest from Deafblind people, families, interpreters, organisations, and researchers.

To learn more or express interest, please contact: