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Research projects – your input requested

We’ve received several requests for participation in research projects which relate to hearing loss.

Keara Mangan, a postgraduate student at the Glasgow School of Art, is researching workplace accessibility and inclusion for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals in animation and media industries. Keara is asking individuals who identify as deaf or hard-of-hearing, media professionals who work with deaf co-workers and human resource managers to provide their personal feelings and experiences on workplace accessibility and culture.

Contact: k.mangan1@student.gsa.ac.uk

Dr Barbara Manini, a lecturer in psychology at the University of Derby, has asked us to mention two studies running in partnership with University College London (UCL). The first is an on-line study which involves Minions and Smurfs, and needs participants who are aged 18+, deaf from birth or early age and have English or BSL as their first language. Participants receive a £15 gift card. The second project is on how memory works in the brain. If you learned a sign language before 3 years of age, are profoundly or severely deaf since birth or early infancy, right-handed, and more than 18 years of age, you may be a suitable participant.

Contact for Minions: B.Manini@derby.ac.uk. Contact for memory and the brain: Valeria Vinogradova dcal.research.cardin@ucl.ac.uk

The UCL Ear Institute’s Remote Audiology Project is currently recruiting participants to take part in the study involving both remote and in-person hearing tests. The data collected will help validate a set of online tools developed by the team to provide tele-audiology services. Participants’ time spent on completing the study will be reimbursed.

Inclusion Criteria: Aged 18 or above; native or fluent English speaker; no diagnosed neurological conditions, psychiatric disorders, or developmental disabilities; suspected or diagnosed hearing loss / impairment /problems (e.g., tinnitus); access to a quiet setting where you can complete the task with no external distractions; access to a smartphone with good internet connection; access to a desktop or laptop computer with good internet connection and headphones.

Since in-person testing will take place at the UCL Ear Institute, 332 Gray’s Inn Road, London WC1X 8EE, this study is most suitable for people living in or near the Greater London area.

Contact to register your interest: https://forms.office.com/r/iXVKLJf5Ve

Advanced Bionics is hosting a series of ‘online coffee mornings’ this summer and autumn, so that families considering cochlear implants can find out more. Advanced Bionics is also looking for users of AB cochlear implants who may be interested in supporting others on their cochlear implant journeys as mentors. The next Information Session is on the morning of Saturday 3 September in Birmingham city centre.

Register for an ‘online coffee morning’ or for the next Mentors Information Session: www.advancedbionics.com/uk-events