DCAL (Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre)

24/09/2026

24/09/2026

Celebrate 20 years of DCAL with us on Saturday 17th October 2026! Registration for DCAL20 closes on 2nd October.

Read more and book now: https://lnkd.in/e-Q7QGB6

16/09/2026

New research brief release!
Dr Kate Rowley explores how deaf and hearing adults process written words. The research found that deaf and hearing readers use visual and meaning-based information in similar ways, but deaf readers make less use of speech-based phonological information. Importantly, this reduced use of sound-based information did not affect reading ability, showing that deaf people can become skilled readers without relying on speech sounds in the same way as hearing readers.

16/09/2026

New research brief release!

Dr Kate Rowley explores how deaf and hearing adults process written words. The research found that deaf and hearing readers use visual and meaning-based information in similar ways, but deaf readers make less use of speech-based phonological information. Importantly, this reduced use of sound-based information did not affect reading ability, showing that deaf people can become skilled readers without relying on speech sounds in the same way as hearing readers.

09/09/2026

Celebrate 20 years of DCAL with us on Saturday 17th October 2026! Registration for DCAL20 closes on 19th September. Read more and book now: https://lnkd.in/e-Q7QGB6

09/09/2026

In our next Academic Spotlight Series, we’re delighted to introduce Dr Brennan Terhune-Cotter.
Brennan, who is deaf and from America, shares his journey from studying Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience to completing a PhD exploring how the brain perceives sign language.
He is now a postdoctoral researcher at DCAL, working on a two-year study looking at BSL fingerspelling and reading. Watch to learn more about his journey, his research, and what led him to where he is today.

09/09/2026

In our next Academic Spotlight Series, we’re delighted to introduce Dr Brennan Terhune-Cotter.

Brennan, who is deaf and from America, shares his journey from studying Psychology and Behavioural Neuroscience to completing a PhD exploring how the brain perceives sign language.

He is now a postdoctoral researcher at DCAL, working on a two-year study looking at BSL fingerspelling and reading. Watch to learn more about his journey, his research, and what led him to where he is today.

03/09/2026

New research brief release!
Professor Mairéad MacSweeney looks back at a landmark DCAL study - the first brain imaging study of British Sign Language (BSL). The research showed that BSL and spoken English are processed in very similar regions of the brain, demonstrating that the brain primarily treats language as language, whether it is seen or heard. More than 20 years later, this important finding continues to shape our understanding of how the brain processes signed and spoken languages.

03/09/2026

New research brief release!

Professor Mairéad MacSweeney looks back at a landmark DCAL study - the first brain imaging study of British Sign Language (BSL). The research showed that BSL and spoken English are processed in very similar regions of the brain, demonstrating that the brain primarily treats language as language, whether it is seen or heard. More than 20 years later, this important finding continues to shape our understanding of how the brain processes signed and spoken languages.

24/08/2026

🎉 Celebrate 20 years of DCAL with us!

Join the UCL Deafness, Cognition and Language Research Centre on Saturday 17 October 2026 for a special day celebrating two decades of pioneering research, collaboration and community.

We’ll bring together DCAL’s past, present and future through memories from the people who helped establish the centre, contributions from former staff, presentations from current researchers, short videos, posters, activities and a panel discussion about the future of deaf research. The day will conclude with a drinks reception.

📅 Saturday 17 October 2026
🕤 Registration from 9.30am; programme 10am–5pm
📍 UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London
🎟️ £10 standard / £15 Pay it Forward
🥪 Lunch and refreshments included

The programme will include BSL/English interpretation, tactile/deafblind interpreting and live captions. The venue is guide-dog friendly, and you can tell us about your access requirements when booking.

Places are limited. Read more and book your ticket:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-sciences/deafness-cognition-and-language-research-centre-dcal/celebrate-20-years-dcal-us-october