PhD Student Research
Brigit Maguire, PhD Candidate, University of Sydney
Biography
I am a social researcher in the Australian government, and I’ve applied social research methods across a range of subjects including health, families and agriculture. I’ve also worked in policy and program areas to gain a better understanding of how research can be tailored and communicated for greater impact on public policy. I’m now pursuing a PhD to deepen my research skills and to contribute to the field of Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR).
PhD project Title: Strengthening the experiences of people who are deaf, Deaf or hard-of-hearing during natural hazard emergencies
Through my PhD, I’m seeking to extend Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) and person-centred emergency preparedness to understanding and strengthening the emergency preparedness of people who are deaf, Deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH). My work focuses particularly on DHH people who use hearing devices.
Phase 1 – Scoping study (complete)
The first phase of this project is a scoping study which identifies and integrates research on the experiences of DHH people during natural hazard emergencies. Through inductive analysis of existing research, this study highlights opportunities to increase accessibility and inclusion for DHH people before, during and after emergencies. These recognise and account for the diverse communication needs and preferences of DHH individuals. By integrating the existing research, we identify critical roles for deafness-specific support organisations and the hearing care sector in linking DHH individuals with information, education and training provided by the emergency sector.
Maguire, B., Boisvert, I., & Villeneuve, M. (2025). Experiences of People Who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing During Emergencies in OECD Countries: A Scoping Study. International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 16(6), 903-917. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13753-025-00671-0
Phase 2 – Survey (complete)
The second phase is an online survey of DHH Australians which explores respondents’ use of hearing devices, communication preferences, and attitudes about and preparedness for hazards or emergencies. Our analysis of survey responses considers how prepared respondents are for emergencies, including hearing device-specific preparedness and their use of accessible smoke alarms and doorbells. We also explore the potential impacts of natural hazards for people who use hearing devices by looking at how they rely on these devices for communication, how they power their devices, and the consequences of losing or damaging a device during an emergency.
Survey summary of findings – 2025-08-18.pdf
Phase 3 – Co-design of hearing device-specific emergency preparedness tool (in progress)
In this phase of the project, we aim to design a person-centred emergency preparedness tool for people who use hearing devices. We will co-design this tool with a range of stakeholders including DHH individuals, the hearing care sector and the emergency management sector.