Rachel O'Neill

Deaf education pathway co-ordinator

  • Moray House School of Education and Sport
  • University of Edinburgh

Contact details

Address

Street

Moray House School of Education and Sport, CL 2.17

City
University of Edinburgh (Holyrood Campus)
Post code
EH8 8AQ

Availability

  • Office hours - Tuesdays 12 - 3 pm drop-in Charteris Land 2.17
    Students - please use email and we can set up a Teams or Zoom meeting.
    For deaf BSL signers, I can organise a Zoom or FaceTime meeting.

Biography

Background

I worked as a teacher in secondary, further and community education for 25 years before moving to the University of Edinburgh in 2006. I was a teacher of deaf children and an EAL tutor and used both approaches in schools and colleges with deaf students. At Edinburgh my main focus is researching deaf education and providing post-qualifying education for teachers of deaf children. From 2014 - 18 I was programme director for the wider MSc Inclusive Education programme.  I support the work of the Scottish Sensory Centre, based in the School of Education and Sport, which involves liaison with a wide range of teachers, professionals, parents and deaf people on policy issues about deaf education. From 2018 - 2022 I was co-editor of Deafness & Education International. From 2017 - 2023 I was the School Disability Contact.

About SSC

Responsibilities & affiliations

Membership British Association Applied Linguistics

Events organiser for BAAL SIG in Language Policy (2017-20)

British Association for Teachers of the Deaf

Scottish Education Research Association

British Education Research Association

Undergraduate teaching

Postgraduate teaching

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Areas of interest for supervision

I am interested in supervising students in the area of deaf education.

Current PhD students supervised

Maggie Chan - Disability representations in biographical and fictional picture books.

Eileen Burns -  Assessment practices and principles for deaf candidates who use BSL in Scottish schools.

Hatice Yarar -  Multilingual families with late diagnosed deaf children.

Research summary

  • Deaf young people's transitions to college, work and higher education
  • Language policy and British Sign Language in education
  • Literacy and deaf learners, including online literacies
  • Families living on a low income bringing up deaf children
  • Teachers of deaf children and young people and professionalism

Current research interests

Language policy in deaf education: comparing the impact of BSL legislation on deaf education in Scotland and Wales. With Dr Rob Wilks, University of West of England. AI summaries of lessons and how they can support ToDs and deaf pupils, with Prof. Peter Bell, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh.

Past research interests

Views of parents living on a low income with deaf children about their experiences of services and knowledge about language acquisition. Successful deaf readers reading and searching online (with Wolfgang Mann, University of Cologne and Robin Thompson, University of Birmingham). Comparing views of teachers of deaf children working bilingually with signed languages in Scotland and South Africa. With Dr Claudine Storbeck, Witwatersrand University Transition of deaf students from school to college, university and work (with Alys Young and SORD, University of Manchester). The Achievement and Opportunities for Deaf Students in the United Kingdom: from Research to Practice History of deaf education

Knowledge exchange

Committee member of Edsign lectures, jointly organised with the universities of Queen Margaret, Napier and Heriot Watt universities (ongoing) 

Member of the cross-parliamentary group on deafness (2006 - 2023)

Member of the Scottish Funding Council group on British Sign Language plans for colleges and universities (2017 - 19)

Member of Edinburgh BSL Working group (2018- ongoing)

Affiliated research centres

Project activity

Current project grants

2024 - 5, Harmonised Impact Acceleration Account, Captions and Summaries Project with Prof. Peter Bell, School of Informatics.
2024, Investigating professionalism in the teacher of deaf children and young people profession, National Deaf Children's Society.

Past project grants

1998, Viscount Nuffield Auxiliary Fund, Investigating text support with deaf students
2005, RNID, Deaf students’ experience of transition from FE to HE
2007, Scottish Government Additional Support for Learning, Science Signs Glossary
2008, Learning Teaching Scotland, Evaluation Science Signs Glossary
2009, The Nuffield Foundation, Achievement and Opportunities for Deaf Students in the United Kingdom, with Prof. Marc Marschark from NTID, USA.
2010, Scottish Qualifications Authority, Feasibility Study Digital Exam papers in BSL, with Dr Audrey Cameron and Gary Quinn, Heriot-Watt University
2011, STEM Disability Committee, Royal Academy of Engineering, Physics and Engineering Sign Development in BSL, with Dr Audrey Cameron and Gary Quinn, Heriot-Watt University,
2012, NDCS Post-school transitions of young deaf people, with Prof. Sheila Riddell
2013, STEM Disability Committee, Royal Academy of Engineering, Physics and Engineering Sign Development in BSL, with Dr Audrey Cameron and Gary Quinn, Heriot-Watt University.
2013, University of Edinburgh Innovation Initiative Grant towards Science signs Glossary evaluation
2013, Birkdale Trust towards Science signs Glossary evaluation
2015, Development of Geography & Earth Sciences Signs in British Sign Language, (12 m to Dec 2015): OMV, Lognostics, NERC, Geological Society of London, DONG Energy, ESRI, with Dr Rhian Meara, Swansea University and Dr Audrey Cameron, Scottish Sensory Centre.
2017, Increasing the impact of British Sign Language Glossary research about stem cells in deaf communities. College of Humanities & Social Sciences Knowledge Exchange and Impact grant; for 12 months to Dec. 2017, with Dr Audrey Cameron, Dr Jan Barfoot and Prof. Vivian Rumjanek (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro).
2017, Cognitive strategies employed by hearing and deaf secondary students while reading online; for 18 months to June 2018. With Dr. Wolfgang Mann, Roehampton University & Dr Robin Thomson, University of Birmingham. Funded by British Academy / Leverhulme Trust.
2018, Longitudinal research study to investigate the factors influencing the employment and post-16 education outcomes of deaf young people. National Deaf Children's Society; with Alys Young, University of Manchester; including a PhD studentship based at University of Edinburgh. CI
2020, National Deaf Children's Society research grant, Assistive devices during the pandemic with Brian Shannan.
2022, Joint research with Dr Rob Wilks then of South Wales University about impact of British Sign Language policy and legislation on deaf education in Wales and Scotland.
2021, Joint research with Dr Claudine Storbeck of Witwatersrand University, SA, into views and attitudes of teachers working bilingually with deaf children in Scotland and South Africa. CI.

Papers delivered

 

 

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