Award-winning research improving access to support for deaf women experiencing domestic abuse
Pioneering research from Heriot-Watt University that is breaking down barriers for deaf women experiencing domestic abuse has been recognised with a national award.
The Justisigns 2 and SILENT HARM projects have won the Scottish Institute for Policing Research (SIPR) 2025 Impact Award.
The projects, believed to be among the first of their kind in the UK, are led by Professor Jemina Napier, Chair of Intercultural Communication at Heriot-Watt University and are designed to ensure deaf women reporting domestic abuse can access vital information, services, and support in British Sign Language (BSL).
Professor Napier is a leading expert in linguistic and social inclusion, and specifically the field of sign language interpreting.
Commenting on the honour, Professor Napier said: "This recognition highlights the urgent need to make services accessible for deaf women experiencing domestic abuse.
“Through Justisigns 2 and SILENT HARM, we’re not only building vital resources in British Sign Language for the deaf community and interpreters, but also ensuring that police officers are equipped to respond with empathy, clarity, and cultural awareness."
Justsigns 2 was part of a European Commission funded two-year research project that developed a range of resources, guidance and toolkits including a British Sign Language (BSL) glossary of key terms for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence in the UK. The glossary includes 33 terms, providing their definition and a suggested sign (or more than one sign, or a combination of signs) for the term in BSL. It was developed in collaboration with Police Scotland’s Domestic Abuse Coordination and Equality Units and involved detailed discussions of the meaning of various terms from the legal perspective and the lay perspective, whilst identifying how to convey information clearly and visually in BSL. A documentary also recreated deaf women’s narratives about the barriers they have experienced.
Using materials developed as part of Justsigns 2, SILENT HARM delivered specialist training workshops to police officers and sign language interpreters in rural areas of Scotland and Ireland in collaboration with Police Scotland and the Irish Police (Garda Síochána). This effort ensured officers and interpreters understand best practices for working together and to empower deaf women who have reported domestic abuse.
Both projects have also led to training and awareness raising in the deaf community to identify signs of domestic abuse and have been instrumental in reducing barriers and ensuring deaf female survivors of domestic abuse can access support.
Established in 2007, the SIPR is a partnership between Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, and Scottish universities to carry out high quality, independent research and to make evidence-based contributions to policing policy and practice.