Examining Access and Participation through a Language Lens: Communication in Science and Emergency Preparedness with Deaf People
University of Edinburgh + The University of Sydney
Biography
For the past decade, Leyla Craig (she/her) has focused on disaster risk reduction (DRR) for marginalised groups, particularly Deaf signing communities. She is currently undertaking research at the University of Sydney, exploring accessibility and participation for deaf people affected by disasters and also works for Fire and Rescue NSW.
Introduction
Leyla’s research case studies highlight ongoing accessibility and language barriers faced by deaf signing people in selected countries across both the Global North and South when it comes to understanding climate-induced disasters. As part of the EARTH Scholar Programme, Leyla undertook a visiting fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, where she was mentored by Dr Gabrielle Hodge and collaborated with Dr Audrey Cameron and her award winning British Sign Language (BSL) Science team. A key success of this team lies in how they develop scientific terminology in BSL and design strategies to bridge language gaps, enabling deaf children and adults to engage with complex scientific concepts directly in BSL. This approach became central to Leyla’s fellowship focus through the EARTH Programme, where she explored how these strategies could be adapted and applied in real time to improve deaf people’s access to information about disasters and climate change in Australia.
Research Problem
“Among the most important findings is that 81% of respondents reported that they have experienced a fear of being unprepared for weather emergencies. This fear was attributed to several factors, but mainly to poor information dissemination…” (Wood and Weisman, 2003).
Over two decades later, this remains a critical issue. As disasters become more frequent and intense due to climate change, the ways in which emergency information is communicated, received, and understood are under increasing strain. Whilst some resources have become more accessible, there is limited evidence that they are fully understood or actionable for deaf people. Deaf people have diverse language and communication needs. Whilst some prefer to access to information in sign language, others—particularly those who have experienced language or educational deprivation—may require support that goes beyond direct interpreting or translation. This research addresses these gaps by examining how Deaf organisations, service providers, and public service institutions negotiate the accessibility and delivery of disaster related information, drawing on case studies of Australia and seven other countries.
The study explores how participation in crisis communication is shaped, revealing tensions between policy intentions, lived experiences, and representation. Two key findings emerge—first, deaf people often struggle to grasp new disaster concepts due to the complex language and delivery use of language and delivery in fast-paced settings, such as training workshops or emergency broadcasts. Understanding these concepts requires time, clarity, and links to lived experiences (Hodge and Goswell, 2021)—elements often missing in current strategies. Second, many disaster and climate terms lack established signs in some countries’ respective sign languages. This raises critical questions: who decides which signs are used and for whom? How are deaf people consulted? And how can we ensure these signs are effective in supporting disaster preparedness and response? This study aims to contribute to new insights into reimagining accessible disaster communication that is shaped by and for deaf people.
EARTH Scholar Project
These questions led me to the University of Edinburgh, where I had the privilege of working with Dr Gabrielle Hodge, who mentored me through this EARTH Scholar Project, and Dr Audrey Cameron OBE, who leads the award-winning BSL (British Sign Language) Science Team. Through collaborations with 40 Deaf BSL signers, scientists, sign linguists, and teachers, the team has developed an online glossary providing clear and visual explanations of science concepts in BSL. Containing over 4,000 signs across ten fields—including Environmental Science and Geography—the glossary aims to improve science education for Deaf BSL signers.
Observing how this team successfully developed and unpacked complex science concepts into BSL and implemented them through visual activities for children and adults across the UK, served as inspiration—along with my mentor’s encouragement—to explore a theory: that deaf students’ understanding of Scottish fire and flood preparedness resources could be improved by linking this to education on the science of how and why floods and fires occur. In turn, this may help increase their understanding of disaster and climate change information.
Pilot in the Highlands
To achieve this, the Highlands was selected as the pilot region due to its remoteness, higher risk of climate-induced disasters, and the limited interactive opportunities for deaf people to learn about climate change in BSL. The brilliant Highlands BSL Science Team was formed, bringing together STEAM scientists I was once again privileged to work with: Dr Audrey Cameron OBE and Dr Gabrielle Hodge, along with Ley Bergeron, a Deaf PhD student from Canada studying in Science Communication and Sign Language, and Nick Craig from Australia, who specialises in Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and Disaster Risk Reduction. Under Audrey and Gabrielle’s guidance, we combined our skills and expertise to form a Deaf-led science team exploring the theory that deaf students’ understanding of Scotland’s fire and flood preparedness resources could be improved by linking them to education on the science of how and why fires and floods occur. This process involved engaging with Scottish emergency services, who generously shared their public safety resources with us. These materials supported the team in unpacking emergency preparedness information through hands-on and visual activities for deaf students and adults in the Highlands.
As part of unpacking emergency preparedness, the team explored the necessary knowledge to understand fire and flood safety and developed activities linking preparedness to the science of how fires and floods start. Two schools in the Highlands—a primary school in Skye and a secondary school in Dingwall—were selected for their commitment to inclusion and advocacy for BSL in education. We also connected with the Inverness Deaf community for a community engagement event. From 12–17 May 2025, the team delivered a five-day science and climate-induced disaster resilience roadshow to local Deaf communities in the Highlands.
Based in Portree, Isle of Skye, and Dingwall, we ran a series of workshops designed to progress from:
- Learning about science (wind, water, and fire)
- Observing the natural world (through guided walks)
- Climate-induced disaster preparedness (storms, floods, wildfires)
- Storytelling (creating short films to communicate key learnings)
The roadshow concluded with a Deaf community event in Inverness to share the week’s activities.
Rather than delivering information in a passive top-down way, activities for both schools and the Inverness Deaf community were designed to be student and community-led, drawing on local knowledge and lived experiences. Using a multispecies perspective, we explored how climate change affects not only people, but also animals, plants, and the wider environment. Through hands-on science activities and demonstrations, we explained the science of how fires and floods start in ways that connected directly to everyday experiences and local knowledge, ensuring concepts were accessible and meaningful to deaf students and adults alike.
Days 1–2: Primary School in Skye
To set the context for the five students participating in this two-day activity, we introduced the theme “My Island”. On the first day, students were encouraged to draw their island and include the environmental surroundings they knew from around their homes or school. This helped us gauge students’ current knowledge about their surrounding area.
It also helped students identify the types of environmental impacts that occur around their home or school and prepared them for the STEAM Deaf Team’s science activities demonstrating the risks of fire behaviour.
Day 1: The Science of Fires
Day 2: Fire Safety Activities
Day 3: Secondary School in Dingwall
The Science of Floods
Flood Safety Activities
Day 4: STEAM Team Meeting
This session provided the STEAM Team with an opportunity to meet, critique, and evaluate the effectiveness of the fire and flood science education and its links to understanding emergency preparedness. The evaluation drew on observations, activity outputs, and feedback. Feedback showed a 94% positive rating, with the student-led, hands-on activities highlighted as a key strength by the students. Observations from discussions and outputs revealed that these activities encouraged constructive conversations without interference from adults, enabling students to take ownership of their learning. Importantly, these opportunities also gave students space to develop critical thinking skills, connecting science, climate, and climate-induced disasters—skills that can inform current and future conversations about disasters and climate change.
Day 5: Climate Change Discussion in Inverness
The STEAM Deaf Team also had the privilege of meeting the Inverness Deaf Club to share the roadshow activities conducted in Portree and Dingwall and to demonstrate some of the science activities. These were particularly popular with older deaf adults who had missed out on science education during their schooling.
A key takeaway from this community engagement was the sharing of lived experiences of past climate induced disasters and the ways people had coped with little or no access to information or support. These accounts are a valuable historical resource, especially as younger Deaf people and the students we worked with experience disasters and climate change differently, with greater access to technology and information. There is potential for future activities that connect the experiences of older and younger Deaf community members.
BSL Science Team
As part of the project, I had the privilege of meeting the BSL Science Team to observe how they discuss and develop BSL signs for science terminology. What stood out about this process was its collaborative nature—it did not rely on one person, but brought together team members from diverse backgrounds, including science, linguistics, Deaf education, and the wider community. The team invited me to provide 15 climate induced disaster terms (e.g., low pressure systems, resilience) for them to unpack and develop appropriate BSL signs. This was carried out through two hybrid meetings with 8-10 team members who had expressed interest in contributing to the discussion of this particular topic.
The process began with unpacking each concept and discussing its meaning—often a challenge when definitions have multiple interpretations or are contested. Once the meaning was agreed, the next step was to identify any existing signs or related signs that could be adapted. Sign development could involve combining existing signs with or creating entirely new ones for the BSL Science Glossary.
Every stage was documented, with each entry recording the science term, the date of discussion, how the term was defined, and whether the proposed sign was approved or remained under review by the BSL Science Team. Once new signs were agreed and established, the team shared them on Facebook to engage with Deaf community members, inviting consultation and feedback before adding them to the BSL Glossary website. This ensured the wider Deaf community was actively involved in the process of developing new BSL signs for science concepts.
Next steps for Scotland
As the EARTH Scholar Programme draws to a close, a key priority will be strengthening collaboration with Scottish Emergency Services, namely SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency), SFF (Scottish Flood Forum) and SFRS (Scottish Fire and Rescue Service). Their contribution of resources has been instrumental in tailoring fire and flood safety information for deaf learners. The STEM Deaf Team has already met with some of the Scottish Emergency Services to share project findings. It is hoped that the next phase will involve local emergency services to visit deaf students in person and bridge what was learnt through this project with more information on fire and flood preparations. This partnership not only strengthens the safety and preparedness of local communities but also positions Scotland as a leader in co-designed education.
Lessons and opportunities for Australia
The collaborative approach developed in Scotland offers valuable insights for Australia, where there is growing interest in STEM amongst Deaf community members. By building on the lessons learnt from this EARTH Scholar project and the work of the BSL Science Team, there is potential to create accessible and tailored disaster education for deaf children and adults. This experience will form a central part of my thesis reflections, covering different strategies for designing spaces where deaf people can explore, unpack, and understand new disaster concepts, which will ultimately raise awareness and build resilience to climate change and disasters.
Following the Scottish model–combining culturally relevant resources with direct engagement from emergency services–can provide the safety education in Australia that meets the language and learning needs of the Australian Deaf community. Embedding these approaches within STEM learning pathways will not only increase hazard awareness but also inspire deaf children and adults to see themselves as active participants in disaster preparedness and climate resilience. The core of this project lies in showing that when co-design is built in from the start, safety messages are accessed, understood, and acted upon.
By uniting knowledge, culture, and the lived experience, we can turn disaster awareness into lifelong resilience for every community member.
References
Hodge, G. and Goswell, D. (2021) ‘Deaf signing diversity and signed language translations’, Applied Linguistics Review, 14(5), pp. 1045-1083.
Wood, V. T. and Weisman, R. A. (2003) ‘A HOLE IN THE WEATHER WARNING SYSTEM: Improving Access to Hazardous Weather Information For Deaf and Hard of Hearing People’, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 84(2), pp. 187-194.
