Harriet Rice (PhD Student)

Hello, my name is Harriet Rice. I am a part-time PhD student at DCAL working on the Tactile BSL project.  I will be working on this research project for five years. I qualified as an adult nurse from the University of Leeds in 2020 and have worked as a nurse for the last 6 years, I have experience working in mainstream and deaf services. I will work in both nursing and research part-time. 

I started learning BSL in 2019 after meeting a deaf signing peer. This led me to explore my deaf identity, and I now hold Level 6 British Sign Language (BSL). I have since completed Level 2 Deafblind Communication and am a qualified intervener for deafblind young people. In 2025, I completed the Deafblind Studies certification awarded by Birmingham City University.

I am particularly interested in the field of deafblindness, as my brother is deafblind. I am interested in how tactile language is acquired within the deafblind community, how communication is adapted, the transition from visual framing to hands-on communication, and the impact this has on a person’s mental health.

In my family’s experience, there was very little support to help us understand deafblindness. Even now it’s quite rare to come across professionals who really understand the needs of deafblind people, or how the combination of deafness and blindness affects access to communication, orientation, and mobility.

Through this research, I hope to highlight how important and meaningful tactile BSL is, and help break down some of the barriers deafblind people face when communicating this way. I also hope it raises more awareness about tactile communication and encourages families, professionals, and the wider community to think more about how they communicate with and alongside deafblind people.