John Ravenscroft - Scottish Sensory Centre - Research Trip and upgrade document

Professor John Ravenscroft – Scottish Sensory Centre

The starting point for the scoping the research network began at the Scottish Sensory Centre, based in Edinburgh University, which works collaboratively with professionals, parents and young people and aims to foster educational research activities relating to children and young people with a sensory impairment in Scotland. Proactively offering high quality professional development activities to enhance knowledge and understanding of issues relating to sensory impairment, the SSC promotes the exchange and dissemination of specialist knowledge and acts as a hub for other organisations by contributing to and taking forward specialist professional networking (SSC, 2019).

Professor Ravenscroft’s research is concerned with the field of visual impairment (Ravenscroft, 2019) focusing towards Cerebral (Cortical) Visual Impairment (CVI) and the interesting notion of representation and supramodality, meaning that the brain does not need eyes to see (Ricciardi et al., 2009). CVI is a form of visual impairment caused by an injury or problem within the brain, rather than a problem with the eye. There are multiple parts within the brain that determine how we see and engage with our visual worlds and for the person with CVI, some, or many of these parts do not work in the same way as for others, creating an alternative visual world for that person (CVI Scotland, 2019).

Professor Ravenscroft’s social and cultural research in the field of visual impairment, further expanded the research network for this project, with an email introduction to Glasgow based multi-media artist, Steve Hollingsworth who provides unique art experiences for people with profound developmental disabilities (Hollingsworth, 2019). A future meeting to develop the network connections between the SSC, Steve Hollingsworth and this research project has been scheduled as this project develops.

Other researchers identified in this initial research visit with Professor Ravenscroft included Dr David Feeney, senior lecturer in disability and education at Liverpool Hope University and retired world expert in CVI, Gordon Dutton. Introductions to both will be made during the progression of the framing and networking of this project.

The SSC identifies associate researchers within the field of visual impairment and through this route an introductory meeting, to widen the research network, was requested with Dr Alison Eardley at the University of Westminster, in London during July 2019.