d/Deaf definition
Throughout this article, we use the term d/Deaf. Deaf with a capital 'D' refers to people who identify as culturally Deaf. People who are deaf with a lowercase 'd' have hearing loss, but do not identify as culturally Deaf.
Olivia joined the University in 2019 when she started studying on our Physical Education and Sport BA (Hons) degree. She received a sport scholarship, as she played for Wigan Athletic Women's first team. This included free access to our sports facilities, as well as performance support like sport psychology, strength and conditioning, and physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
Olivia was drawn to our physical education and sport course because she had always loved sport and wanted to teach PE. As she progressed on the course, she says, “I learned that there was more to sport and PE than meets the eye and became particularly drawn to sociological issues in disability sport.”
During her degree, Olivia discovered a passion for research. In her second year, she completed a research proposal. She had recently started learning BSL and decided to research d/Deaf students’ experience in PE. This uncovered a gap in the literature, as she says, “research from students' own perspective was lacking with only one study exploring this internationally and none in England”.
She took this topic even further, completing her dissertation on “'Physical Educators’ experiences of teaching PE to d/Deaf pupils in mainstream settings.” Olivia carried out semi- structured interviews with three secondary school PE teachers who taught d/Deaf students. She says, “results indicated that PE teachers have positive attitudes towards the inclusion of d/Deaf pupils. However, phonocentricism and insufficient training were identified as barriers.” This earned her a first-class degree and the Elite Embroidery Award for Academic Excellence.
"I graduated from my undergraduate degree in July 2022 and by September 2022, I was enrolled on my PhD"
— Olivia Williams, PhD student
Our academic team were so impressed, they encouraged her to go straight onto her PhD. While she was initially nervous, Olivia says, “I took a leap of faith and pursued my aspirations, supported and encouraged by my supervisors. I graduated from my undergraduate degree in July 2022 and by September 2022, I was enrolled on my PhD.”
She continued her research on d/Deaf pupils’ experiences within PE, as well as effective teaching strategies. She spent three days a week in a mainstream school with a Deaf Resource Base, carrying out interviews, observations and analysis of school documentation.
The outcome of her research was that “social interactions between d/Deaf pupils, mainstream teachers, Deaf Resource Base staff and hearing peers is a key determinant of a positive PE experience. Despite discovering some positive social interactions and friendships between d/Deaf and hearing pupils, most d/Deaf pupils reported feeling isolated in mainstream PE.” Olivia also identified a number of teaching strategies, challenging phoncentricism to create a more inclusive learning environment.
Olivia took every opportunity that came with her PhD. She presented at conferences, completed a research internship and even wrote a book chapter. When she was asked to guest lecture on our Physical Education and Sport course, she jumped at the chance. She delivered a number of research-informed lectures on topics including disability sport, society and sport, and how to carry out interviews and observations in a sports context. She even led sessions on how to teach d/Deaf pupils in PE, based on her own research.
When asked what her proudest achievement is, Olivia says “being awarded Postgraduate Research Student of the Year at the University of Lancashire's Research Knowledge and Exchange Awards 2025. The award recognised the real-world implications of my PhD.”
Olivia hopes her journey from student to guest lecturer inspires other undergraduate students. “I was inspired by my lecturers and gradually realised this is something I wanted to pursue as a career. When the opportunity to lecture on the course came up this felt like a dream come true."
