Researchers from University of Valencia, ERI-Lectura and the Catholic University of Valencia collaborate in a project financed by Ministry of Economy and Finance, in order to study reading processes in deaf people through an electroencephalographic register. The ultimate aim of this research is to ensure deaf people to have a good reading

Until now, the research perspective has been mainly focused on “disability”: deaf readers have a deficient access to phonology -a decisive factor in the access to reading and writting in listeners- consequently this “disability” is asumed to be the main reading problem. However, there are evidences that show the “phonological” skills is not the determining factor in their reading level.

Current project is focused on the virtues of deaf readers rathen than their lack of skills.  Through this research we want to confirm if, for deaf people, visual factors such as proper spelling, can have greater weight in their reading level.

By means of an electroencephalographic register (EEG) we can analyze the temporal course of brain processing while participants read words and complete comprehension tasks.

These records are carried out in ERP Lab laboratory of UV’s Faculty of Psychology. EEG activity reflects a high temporal resolution perceptual processes (before 100 miliseconds) and meaning access processes (after 200 miliseconds). They can indicate the sensitivity level participants show before perceptual or abstract processes of the reading processing.

Renowed reading and sign language researchers participate in this project, such as Doctor Eva Guitiérrez who has worked in Deafness Cognition and Language (DCAL) Research Centre (University College London)- in 2008, her Doctoral Thesis was awarded with the Confederación Estatal de Personas Sordas (FCNSE) Research Award. Likewise, UV professor Marta Vergara-Martínez is an expert in psycholinguistic processes electroencephalographic indicators.

The project is having an great media dissemination through local TV (TV Canaria new: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-MEJcePPL4cU3lWR0kwLXhKRHc) and national (sign language programme: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-MEJcePPL4cRFkyLUk3d19YX1E)

In order to develop this study we are looking for participants: with profound or severe deafness, with no neurological disorder nor cochlear implant, right-handed and over 17 years old.

Until now, more than 10 deaf people have collaborate with different association from Valencia and Tenerife, but we need to reach around 40 people. We also need listener readers in order to take part in the control group. If you want to participate or know someone who may be interested, join at: investigacion.palabras@gmail.com. By the end of this year we might disseminate our first results to all collaborating centers and to the maximum number of deaf people.

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