Research Interests

Fantasy, Deafness, Sign Language, Genre Fiction, ConLang

Fantasy allows a culture a highly creative means of telling stories about itself, so why should certain minority groups be excluded because of their expressive form? Especially now, when their communities are shrinking.

Working with Deaf organisations and BSL communities, my research will compose fantasy sign language in three ways: (1) a collection of primary interviews with sign-users on their relationship with sign, (2) a critical framework of logistical methods in creating a fantasy sign language by analysing impact of world-building, character, and form, (3) a fantasy novel narrated by two D/deaf characters who construct sign language in different ways.