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Professor Lorraine Leeson

Professor in Deaf Studies (C.L.C.S.)
Professor in Deaf Studies (Centre for Deaf Studies)
      
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Professor Lorraine Leeson

Professor in Deaf Studies (C.L.C.S.)

 leesonl@tcd.ie

 

Professor in Deaf Studies (Centre for Deaf Studies)


I am Professor in Deaf Studies at the Centre for Deaf Studies, and Associate Vice Provost for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (2021-), previously serving as Associate Dean of Research (2018-2021). My research work is multidisciplinary, influenced by my background in Deaf Studies, Gender Studies and Linguistics. I have published widely on aspects of the linguistics and applied linguistics of signed languages with a specific interest in Irish Sign Language and in the area of sign language interpreting. My doctoral work was the first to examine aspects of the morphosyntax of Irish Sign Language, and subsequent to this, I have published and lectured widely on aspects of the grammar of Irish Sign Language, and in the area of signed language/spoken language interpreting. I was a member of the first cohort of professionally trained Irish Sign Language/English interpreters in Ireland, am a member of the Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (RISLI) and continue to interpret occasionally. I have engaged in pan-European research work with academic institutions, Deaf communities and interpreting organisations for thirty years. I am currently working on a number of projects including: *DeafSigns - Unlocking Educational Opportunities in Sign Languages in Europe. DeafSign is a Council of Europe/European Centre for Modern Languages funded project which seeks to establish guidelines, recommendations and practical resources to promote quality standards for the provision of learning opportunities for vulnerable learners, particularly deaf & hard-of-hearing (DHH) children and their parents, caregivers and family members, heritage signers and DHH refugees and migrants with linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds in Europe who have no access to sign language education. (2024-27) *Deaf Women and Maternity Care in Ireland (2024). Funded by Reach Deaf Services, this project is led by the School of Nursing and Midwifery, TCD (Prof Deirdre Daly and Dr Grainne Meehan) and the Centre for Deaf Studies (Prof Lorraine Leeson and Teresa Lynch). The project aims to document the experiences of Irish deaf women vis-a-vis maternity care, and feed learning from this study into Irish maternity care services. *Conceptualisation in Interpretation (ongoing). Working with Prof Terry Janzen (University of Manitoba) and Prof Barbara Shaffer (University of New Mexico) on a project that explores how experienced spoken and signed language interpreters conceptualise and represent the words and gestures of source language speakers when working into a wide range of languages. Taking cognitive linguistic and gesture studies informed approaches to our work, we also look at how signers and speakers' conceptualise events, and in particular, the use of gesture space in representing these concepts. * Higher Education Institutions as Places for People (2025-6). I lead this HEA funded project, working in collaboration with RCSI, TU Dublin and University of Galway. We take a multi-dimensional intersectional perspective on access for all, while considering also constraints that operate when future-proofing heritage buildings.
  Bilingual/Bicultural Education   cognitive linguistics   Deaf Studies   gesture   interpreting studies   Irish Sign Language   Language acquisition   Language Policy   modality and language   Morpho-syntax of signed languages   Signed Languages   Teaching and learning
Project Title
 Higher Education Institutions as Places for People
From
January 2025
To
June 2026
Summary
We represent four Irish Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) collaborating on a national cross-sectoral project to how intersectionality is incorporated into estate planning for city centre or city adjacent HEIs with heritage buildings. Our goal is to identify best practices and build towards a sectoral community of practice. Ireland's HEIs have an obligation to interrogate accessibility across all equality grounds under the Public Sector Duty (PSD) (IHREC Act 2014). In 2022, a sectoral values-based PSD toolkit was developed (UCD/IUA) and this broader equality lens has been hardwired into the Athena Swan Ireland Framework (2021), where EDI actions relating to the built environment can be listed. Further, the Disability Act (2005) requires public buildings to be compliant with Part M of the Irish Building Regulations, Access and Use (2010), as a minimum standard, and established a Centre for Excellence in Universal Design to support public bodies to design environments that are accessible to and inclusive of all. Yet, our historic buildings were constructed before gender equality, physical accessibility, and increased diversity were a sectoral consideration, resulting in numerous physical barriers and historic omission of provision. This impacts on participation and engagement. Consequently, retrofits have been necessary to provide e.g. breastfeeding, prayer, multi-faith, and sensory spaces; gender neutral and accessible bathrooms, elevators, child-care provision, etc.). Here, we discuss how we are building an innovative, cross-sectoral network to support intentional cross-disciplinary work in this domain, framed via an intersectional lens with a view to better managing cultural barriers and leveraging UD principles to remove physical barriers. Our goal is to ensure that we hardwire access for all into our institutional planning. All partners have buildings listed on the National Built Heritage Service site: we are mindful of our heritage status and conservation obligations while ensuring we plan forward with regard to current and future students and staff. Sometimes these obligations are in tension, a key point for discussion here.
Funding Agency
Higher Education Authority
Programme
EDI Fund
Project Type
HEA Centre for Excellence in EDI Funded Project
Person Months
18
Project Title
 Interpreting in Deaf Education
From
2024
To
2026
Summary
This project is an action research project that explores the challenges of embedding sign language interpreters in mainstream primary schools from multiple perspectives - that of the teachers, schools, students, and interpreters.
Funding Agency
Erasmus+
Programme
KA2
Person Months
36
Project Title
 DeafSign: Unlocking Educational Opportunities in Sign Languages for Deaf, Hard-of-Hearing and Heritage Signers in Europe
From
1 January 2024
To
31 December 2027
Summary
The DeafSign project aims to promote the rights of vulnerable deaf, hard of hearing and hearing signers in Europe (including deaf children and their families, deaf refugees and migrants, and heritage signers) to learn and to use sign languages in public domains by providing guidelines and resources for professionals working with these signers from linguistically and culturally diverse backgrounds in Europe.
Funding Agency
European Centre for Modern Languages/Council of Europe
Programme
ECML Programme 2024-2027
Project Type
Policy Implementation
Project Title
 SIGN - making maternity experiences positive for deaf women
From
1 September 2023
To
31 August 2024
Summary
This qualitative study aims to develop a video on `Maternity services in Ireland " what matters to deaf women". The objectives are to: (i) Conduct one-to-one interviews with 15-20 deaf women to ascertain their experiences of navigating the maternity services in Ireland (ii) Co-produce a video on what matters to deaf women for use by women and all healthcare professionals involved in the Irish maternity services. (iii) Integrate Irish Sign language (ISL) into previously co-developed online resources on Women"s Health After Motherhood" (WHAM). (iv) Host a seminar to launch the resources (v) Co-author a paper for a peer-reviewed journal and co-present the findings at relevant scientific conferences.
Funding Agency
Reach Deaf Services
Project Type
Inclusive Society
Person Months
12
Project Title
 TORCH -Transforming Open Responsible Research and Innovation through CHARM
From
1 January 2021
To
31 December 2023
Summary
The future CHARM-EU R&I dimension will promote a challenge-driven transformative agenda with a transdisciplinary and intercultural vision laying its foundation in 3 cross cutting principles of Responsible R&I: Interdisciplinarity/Transdisciplinarity, Gendered innovation, and Ethics and Integrity; and on 4 transformational modules: establishing a common R&I agenda and action plan; reinforcing cooperation with non-academic actors; mainstreaming of comprehensive Open Science practices; and involvement of citizens, civil society and public/cities authorities in R&I. The TORCH project will help CHARM-EU to become a complete European University by enhancing the academic and research networks already started with the Erasmus+ Project. The TORCH proposal will drive impact at three different levels: alliance level, institutional level and societal level, with priorities in accelerating and catalysing processes of institutional change, in stepping up the support to Gender Equality in R&I policy and in exploring and supporting citizen science.
Funding Agency
Horizon2020
Programme
H2020-IBA-SwafS-Support-1-2020
Project Type
CSA-LSP
Person Months
36

Page 1 of 6
Details Date
Chair of the Speak Out National Oversight and Governance Committee. Speak Out is the anonymous reporting tool funded via the Higher Education Authority, with 19 HEIs rolling this out. Since 2025, Trinity is host to the National Speak Out Office. This sits within the Dignity, Respect and Consent Unit. 2025-
Member of RISLI Registration Panel (Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters) 2020
European Centre for Modern Languages Expert on Sign Languages 2013-
Member of the Royal Irish Academy Multidisciplinary Committee on Languages, Literature, Culture and Communication 2018
Member of Science Foundation Ireland/ Research Ireland's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group 2024
Member of the IUA VP-Research Group (as Associate Dean of Research) 2020
Member of the National Forum on Research Integrity 2018
Member of the LERU Research Integrity Policy Group 2018
Member of the Higher Education Authority's National Committee on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion 2021
Member of the Dublin City Centre Rejuvenation Working Group 2024
Member of the LERU Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy Group and Steering Committee 2021
Member of the IUA VP-EDI Group 2021
ARTIS Associate (Advancing Research in Translation and interpreting Studies). 2014-present
Founder Member of the Irish Deaf Research Network (IDRN) 2008- present
Advisor - Deaf Studies Trust, Bristol 2013 - present
Chair of the European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters Expert Group 2012-2019
Member of the Trinity Asian Centre for Asian Studies Board 2015-2018
Board Member - Sign Language Interpreting Service (SLIS) 2011 - 2013
Member of the Royal Irish Academy Modern Languages Committee 2010-2013
Member of the Partnership Group on Deaf Education (CIDP-IDS-DeafHear-Schools for the Deaf-CDS) 2007-2013
Editor of "The Sign Language Translator and Interpreter", St. Jerome Publishing. 2007-2011
Director - Dublin City Radio (DCR) 2008- 2010
Member of the Editorial Board, Deaf Worlds: International Journal of Deaf Studies 2001-2008
Member of the Irish Sign Link ISL/English Acccreditation Review Panel 2004-2006
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
American Sign Language Medium Medium Medium
British Sign Language Medium Medium Medium
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Medium Basic Basic
Irish Basic Basic Basic
Irish Sign Language Fluent Fluent Fluent
Details Date From Date To
Irish Association of Applied Linguistics (IRAAL) 1994 present
International Cognitive Linguistics Association 2004 present
Irish Association of Sign Language Interpreters (IASLI) (disbanded in 2008) 1993 2008
Irish Translators and Interpreters Association (ITIA)
Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters 2020 present
Irish Deaf Research Network 2008 present
Conference of Interpreter Trainers (CIT) 2008 present
International Association for Translation and Intercultural Studies (IATIS) 2010 present
European Forum of Sign Language Interpreters 2010 Present
Council of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (CISLI) 2011 Present
International Pragmatics Association 2017 2018
Societas Linguistica Europea 2020 2022
Association for Criminal Justice Research & Development (ACJRD) 2016 present
International Society for Gesture Studies (ISGS) 2014
McIlrath, Lorraine, Lorraine Leeson, Helen Maher and Marie Connolly, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Within Higher Education in Ireland. Contemporary Perspectives., First, Cham, Switzerland, Springer Nature, 2025, Book, IN_PRESS  URL
Sign Language Interpreting in Ireland in, editor(s)Stacey Webb, Jemina Napier, and Robert Adam , Sign language translation and interpreting education two decades on, Washington DC, Gallaudet University Press, 2025, pp265 - 298, [Sarah Sheridan, Teresa Lynch, and Lorraine Leeson], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Transforming the EDI Agenda: Including Disability as an Intersectional Consideration in, editor(s)McIlrath, Lorraine, Lorraine Leeson, Helen Maher and Marie Connolly , Transforming Gender Equality and Inclusion Within Higher Education in Ireland. Contemporary Perspectives, Cham, Switzerland, Springer Nature, 2025, [Rath, Vivian, Patricia McCarthy, David Loughrey and Lorraine Leeson], Book Chapter, IN_PRESS
Marie Connolly, Yvonne Galligan, Lorraine Leeson, Helen Maher and Lorraine McIlrath, Transforming Gender Equality and Inclusion in Higher Education in Ireland, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Gender Research, 8th International Conference on Gender Research, Porto, Portugal, 10-11 April 2025, edited by https://doi.org/10.34190/icgr.8.1.3396 , 8, (1), 2025, pp48-55 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Lorraine Leeson, Jemina Napier, Lianne Quigley and Catriona Frier, Silent Harm: evidence-informed training for stakeholders working in interpreter-mediated gender-based violence settings, Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Gender Research, 8th International Conference on Gender Research, Porto, Portugal, 8-10 April 2025, edited by Ana Isabel Azevedo, Josè Manuel Azevedo and Anabela Mesquita , 8, (1), 2025, pp210-217 , Notes: [https://doi.org/10.34190/icgr.8.1.3296], Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Siobán O'Brien Green, Sam Williams and Lorraine Leeson, Embedding Inclusive Gender Equality in an Academic Institution Over Time: A Case Study, https://doi.org/10.34190/icgr.8.1.3322, 8th International Conference on Gender Research, Porto, Portugal, 8-10 April 2025, edited by Ana Isabel Azevedo, Josè Manuel Azevedo and Anabela Mesquita , 8, (1), 2025, pp298-304 , Conference Paper, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Terry Janzen, Lorraine Leeson, Barbara Shaffer, Simultaneous interpreters" gestures as a window on conceptual alignment, PARALLÈLES, 37, (1), 2025, p85-104 , Notes: [10.17462/para.2025.01.06], Journal Article, PUBLISHED
Noel O'Connell, John Bosco Conama and Lorraine Leeson, Responding to the Irish Government's Announcement on the New Access and Work Scheme. A Human Rights Approach, Disability and Society, 1, (5), 2025, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Andy Way, Lorraine Leeson and Dimitar Shterionov (eds.), Sign Language and Machine Translation, Cham, Switzerland, Springer Nature, 2024, Book, PUBLISHED  URL
Sign Languages in Britain and Ireland in, editor(s)Fox, Sue , Language in Britain and Ireland, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2024, pp439-452 , [Schembri, Adam; Rowley, Kate; Leeson, Lorraine], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
  

Page 1 of 27
Myriam Vermeerbergen and Lorraine Leeson , Introducing signed languages: simultaneity, multimodality & other characteristics, SignON Consortium Internal Symposium, Online , 28 March , 2022, Lien Soetemans, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Interview with Ciara Plunkett 14 January 2021, 'Kildare Focus', KFM Radio, 2021, -, Broadcast, PUBLISHED
Lorraine Leeson, 'How sign language interpreters tell the story of what's going on', RTE Brainstorm, 13 January 2021, https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0113/1189418-irish-sign-language-interpreters-covid-19-late-late-toy-show/, RTE , 2021, -, Broadcast, PUBLISHED
Lorraine Leeson, Variation in Irish Sign Language, Variation in Irish Sign Language, University of Manitoba , 25 February 2021, 2021, Terry Janzen, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Aoife King (ed), Rita Duffy, Caitríona Lally, Jacob J. Erickson, Donna Lyons et al., What the Pandemic Means: Perspectives from the Trinity Long Room Hub Covid-19 Blog Collection, 2021, - 1-56, Notes: [Artwork: Rita Duffy], Miscellaneous, PUBLISHED
Nina Shiel and Lorraine Leeson, Towards an Integrated Approach to RRI: Lessons from Interdisciplinarity, LERU-CE7 Research Ethics Online Seminar, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University , 22 April 2021, 2021, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED
Jennifer Daly and Lorraine Leeson, 'What do you want to know.... about sign languages?', What do you want to know about?, Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, 2020, -, Broadcast, PUBLISHED
Lorraine Leeson and Carmel Grehan, The Common European Framework of Reference and Signed Language Curricula, ISL Academy Workshop, Deaf Village Ireland, Dublin, 27 January 2018, 2018, Irish Sign Language Academy, Invited Talk, PRESENTED
Lorraine Leeson, Haaris Sheikh and Council for Irish Sign Language Interpreters, Interpreting in Workplace Settings, 22 April 2018, In:Interpreting in Workplace Settings, 2018, Centre for Deaf Studies, Trinity College Dublin, Meetings /Conferences Organised, PRESENTED
Carmel Grehan and Lorraine Leeson, European Language Portfolio for Sign Languages (ELP-SL), ISL Academy Workshop, Deaf Village Ireland , 16 June 2018, 2018, Oral Presentation, PRESENTED

  


Page 1 of 8
Award Date
NRB Scholarship 1996
British Academy Fellowship 2004
European Commission Language Ambassador of the Year Award 2009
Fellowship, TCD 2009
M.A. (J.O.) TCD 2011
European Language Label Award for Medisigns Project (LLP/LdV/TOI/2010/IRL-511) 2013
Conferred with Honorary Membership of the Irish Translators' and Interpreters' Association 2014
Patron - Irish Deaf Women's Group 2015
Nominated for Provost's Global Award 2014-15
Kerry Deaf Resource Centre Outstanding Contribution Award 2016
European Language Label Award for Justisigns Project 2017
Trinity College Dublin Innovation Award - Consultancy 2021
Research Excellence Award - 'Putting Research at the Heart of Trinity' category 2023
Science Foundation Ireland Engaged Research Award (SignON project) 2023
Honorary Professor - Heriot Watt University School of Social Sciences 2017
An Garda Síochána Award in recognition of contributions to their Human Rights Champions Programme/working in collaboration with An Garda Síochána to increase accessibility to police services for deaf signers. 2022
Led submission for successful European Commission Sustainable Gender Equality Award for Trinity College Dublin 2023
Led submission for successful Institutional Silver Athena Swan Award for Trinity College Dublin 2023
Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Engaged Research Award for SignON project 2023
SignON project shortlisted for TechExcellence Awards in three categories - Tech Excellence Award; Digital Transformation Award; and Analytics Institute awards 2024
The Analytics Institute Analytics and AI Awards: Social Impact Award for SignOn project 2024
Nominated for Excellence in Research Student Supervision Award 2023 2023
My research spans 3 domains: (1) linguistics & applied linguistics of sign languages (SLs), (2) interpreting studies (IS), & (3) trans-disciplinary work. As a student, I found just one paper published on Irish Sign Language (ISL) & very little empirical work on sign language interpreting (SLI) or sign language teaching & learning (SLT&L). I've dedicated my career to changing this by promoting a culture of empirical research, documenting & interrogating aspects of ISL & interpretation. I am particularly adept at navigating the space between linguistic research and applied practices. At European level, I've done a great deal of ground work that has supported increased recognition & inclusion of signed languages. My work has directly influenced the establishment of core competencies for European SLIs & SL teachers. I am a European Centre for Modern Languages (ECML)/Council of Europe (COE) expert on SLs, & have examined aspects of the T&L and assessment of SLs for professional purposes (PRO-Sign 1 & 2). This underpinned a critical body of pan-European empirical research, led to a series of international conferences, & inclusion of SLs as a focus for ECML"s work. I served as a consultant to the COE on the development of the modality inclusive Common European Framework of Reference for Languages Companion Volume (2020), which, for the 1st time, presents descriptors of competence for both spoken and signed languages. This segues with research on SL policy in Europe, theorising how adult learners navigate the process & how SL teachers respond to learners. A current COE/ECML project, "DeafSign" seeks to ensure national policy makers consider the linguistic needs of deaf migrants, refugees, heritage signers & their families. I am frequently invited to advise NGOs, universities and governmental bodies at home and around the world on issues relating to my domains of expertise.My linguistics work includes analyses of the role of gesture, metaphor, metonymy, simultaneity, & depiction in SLs. Much of my ISL data comes from the "Signs of Ireland" corpus, which I spearheaded. This has facilitated significant description of aspects of ISL by myself and other scholars. My IS research explores provision of interpreters in a range of domains. A current project marries work from cognitive linguistics, gesture studies and IS (with Janzen & Shaffer), investigating how simultaneous interpreters of spoken & signed languages conceptualise events. At Trinity, I've led development of a cohort of researchers working with Grounded Theory (GT) methodologies & developed a GT of interpreting interaction, Effortful Engagement, which has fed follow-on work. This theory considers the work required of all stakeholders in interpreted interaction (most look only at the interpreter"s cognitive efforts). I have been invited to present keynote addresses on this around the world. Other multidisciplinary work includes a focus on gender based violence (Justisigns 2), maternity care, & machine translation for sign languages (MTSL) " e.g., the multi-award winning SignON project (Horizon 2020) sought to develop MTSL for multiple spoken & signed languages. MTSL is decades behind that of most spoken languages. I led the consortium"s ethics work package & was central to embedding a deep commitment to co-construction with deaf communities across the project. My work has fed into work leading to the legal recognition of ISL (ISL Act 2017) & the development of the Register of Irish Sign Language Interpreters (RISLI).