Information for parents and families
We are carrying out the READY study so that we can understand more about the barriers and opportunities that young deaf people face in life. The outcomes we will be looking at include:
- educational attainment;
- socio-economic outcomes;
- social and wellbeing outcomes;
- employment.
The study will ask those who take part to fill in a survey every year and complete some measures of the outcomes we are looking at. Some participants may also be asked to take part in an interview and discussion every year if they volunteer to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are you asking my child to participate in the study?
Understanding more about the experiences of young deaf people may help to improve opportunities for others in the future. Your child is being asked to consider taking part because they fit the inclusion criteria for the study.
What do you mean by ‘deaf’?
We are interested in including in this study many different children and young people with different experiences of being deaf. Some will use spoken language, some signed language. Some will wear hearing aids or cochlear implants. Participants will vary in their audiological profiles from mild to profoundly deaf. We are also interested in young people with additional disabilities and from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
What languages can a young person participate in?
There will be an opportunity to take part using written English, written Welsh, Sign Supported Spoken English or Sign Supported Spoken Welsh (for those who prefer to listen and lipread), and BSL.
Will the information collected be confidential?
Before agreeing to take part in the study your child will be provided with a participant information sheet and a consent form to sign. The participant information sheet explains how we will hold and store all information securely and confidentially. Only members of the research team will have access to personal identifiable information. Personal identifiable information will not be shared with any other organisation. When we write about what we have learnt from the study (such as part of a report to NDCS or in a published paper) the people who took part will not be identifiable.
Towards the end of the project, your child will be given the opportunity to opt into making their contact details accessible to other researchers in the future, under strict data control and ethical guidelines. There is no requirement for participants to agree to this as a condition of entering the study.
Can the research team tell me about my child’s progress or what they said?
The research project is not measuring young people’s developmental progress and we will not be able to tell you the information your child provides to us. However, it would be helpful if you were able to encourage your child to take part and this may include you discussing the purpose of the study with them and they may choose to share with you what they have contributed.
Can my child withdraw from the study?
Any participant can stop participating in the study at any time by telling us they no longer want to be involved. To make this easy we will provide a simple form for them to do this. The Participant Information provides more details about this. Some of the data they have provided will still be kept in an anonymised form.
Contact Us
+44 (0) 7979 668178
