Dai O’Brien is a Deaf scholar and Associate Professor of British Sign Language (BSL) and Deaf Studies at York St John University, UK. He joined the university in 2012 and conducts research on Deaf space, Deaf community transitions, political activism, and visual research methods within Deaf Studies.
Academic background and position
Dai O’Brien earned multiple degrees from the University of Bristol, including a BSc in Biological Sciences (2004), MSc in Deaf Studies (2006), MRes in Sociology (2009), and a PhD in Social Work (December 2012). His doctoral thesis explored how mainstream-educated Deaf youth experience statutory transition planning in England[1][2].
Since 2012, he has served as Associate Professor at York St John University in the School of Education, Language and Psychology, leading modules on Deaf History, Signed Languages in Social Context, Languages and Social Theory, and BSL instruction[1].
Research focus and methods
Dr O’Brien’s research centers on how Deaf people create and inhabit “deaf spaces”—social and physical environments that suit visual modality and Deaf culture. He combines sociological theory (e.g., Bourdieu, Lefebvre) and visual methodologies (walking interviews, eco‑mapping, auto‑driven photo-elicitation) to investigate experiences of Deaf academics, young people transitioning to adulthood, and community loss in UK contexts[1][3].
A major study—The Spaces and Places of Deaf Academia—used in-depth walking interviews and eco-maps to assess how Deaf academics navigate higher education institutions. This work highlighted both isolation from hearing colleagues and creative reclamation of academic and social spaces as Deaf-friendly environments[3].
Key publications and projects
O’Brien has published extensively across Deaf Studies, geography, and qualitative methods. Notable contributions include:
- “Theorising the deaf body: using Lefebvre and Bourdieu to understand deaf spatial experience” (Cultural Geographies, 2021), exploring how Deaf individuals produce personal spatial environments through embodied practices[4].
- “Negotiating academic environments: using Lefebvre to conceptualise deaf spaces and disabling/enabling environments” (Journal of Cultural Geography, 2019), which applies Lefebvrian spatial theory to barriers and affordances within academia[5].
- A collaborative research report and articles on the loss of Deaf community spaces in Bristol, documenting archival nostalgia and community decline via visual methodologies[5].
He has also contributed to books such as Innovations in Deaf Studies: The Role of Deaf Scholars and is co-author of Language and Social Justice: An Introduction to Linguistic Activism (2025)[1].
Impact and vision
Dai O’Brien is recognized for advancing Deaf-led research and creative visual methodologies. He actively engages with community and academic audiences through conferences (e.g., Bridging the Gap series), public scholarship, and collaboration across Deaf Studies scholars. His emphasis on Deaf spatiality, political involvement, and visual research ethics has influenced how Deaf experience is studied and understood in UK higher education and beyond[1][3].
- York St John University staff profile, Dr Dai O’Brien – Associate Professor of BSL and Deaf Studies
- O’Brien, D. (2012). d/Deaf young people’s experiences of transition planning in England: Using auto-driven photo-elicitation interviews and critical discourse analysis to explore experiences of policy and practice. Unpublished PhD Thesis. University of Bristol.
- O’Brien, D. (2020). Mapping deaf academic spaces. Higher Education, 80(4), 739-755.
- O’Brien, D. (2021). Theorising the deaf body: using Lefebvre and Bourdieu to understand deaf spatial experience. cultural geographies, 28(4), 645-660.
- O’Brien, D. (2020). Negotiating academic environments: Using Lefebvre to conceptualise deaf spaces and disabling/enabling environments. Journal of Cultural Geography, 37(1), 26-45.
