2027 Review Panel

Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman

Dr Emma Ferguson-Coleman is a Deaf British Sign Language user and researcher specialising in dementia and ageing within Deaf communities. She has worked with Deaf BSL users living with dementia and their carers since 2010, with a focus on access to culturally appropriate support following diagnosis.

Emma completed her PhD in 2016, examining Deaf community knowledge of dementia and associated symptoms. Her research was the first globally to include direct interviews with Deaf people living with dementia and their close family members. The findings highlighted both the resilience of Deaf people facing cognitive change and the significant barriers they continue to experience when accessing healthcare and community-based support, within both mainstream services and Deaf-led spaces.

She is currently a lecturer in dementia and ageing at the Geller Institute of Ageing and Memory, University of West London, where she teaches postgraduate students on the Dementia Studies programme. Her work continues to inform practice at the intersection of healthcare, interpreting, and Deaf access.