Dr Liz Hodges

Liz is the only University lecturer in the country in Deafblindness and The School of Education is the only nationally recruiting programme for teachers who wish to qualify with Mandatory Qualifications recognised by the GTC in deafblindness.

Initially teaching children with severe learning difficulties, an interest in sensory impairment led her on to working with deafblind adults in further education, classroom teaching of deafblind children, and then leadership roles in a specialist school. Alongside her work as a lecturer, Liz is also an advisory teacher for deafblind children for a local authority. This maintains her daily contact with deafblind people and promotes the integration of new ideas and research into practice. 
 
Liz is also working on a Sense funded project exploring the impact that diagnosis has for people with Usher syndrome. She is interested in exploring the effect of changes in Usher syndrome and the knowledge that someone has Usher, on the life and experiences of a person with Usher.

She will be interviewing people who are about 15, about 25, and about 45 years old, who have type 1, type 2, and type 3 Usher. It is important to Liz that research participants are able to take part using their preferred method of communication e.g. BSL, deafblind manual alphabet, tactile communication. Find out more about this research on the project webpage http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/education/projects/deafblind-attending-rare-syndrome-clinics.aspx