Helena Carmo makes history by becoming Católica's first deaf PhD graduate

‘Knowledge and education are powerful tools that can transform lives.’ And in Helena Carmo's case, that couldn't be more true. She is the first deaf person to gain a doctorate from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and the second deaf person to do so in Portugal. ‘Completing my doctorate was a very important milestone, both personally and for the deaf community,’ shares the recent doctor in Cognition, Language and Neuroscience.

Days away from receiving the doctoral letter, at the solemn session of the National Day of the Universidade Católica, on 7 February, he assures: ‘This doctorate represents the recognition of the potential and capacity of deaf people in academia and reinforces the importance of accessibility in higher education. I hope this is a step towards opening more doors for other deaf students.’

The support of the University was essential for this achievement, says the PhD candidate and researcher at the Faculty of Health Sciences and Nursing. "Universidade Católica made this journey possible."

Having won a research grant from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, the thesis, entitled ‘Aspectos Fonológicos, Morfossintáticos e Semânticos da Negação em Língua Gestual Portuguesa: O Caso do Gesto NÃO_HAVER’ (Phonological, Morphosyntactic and Semantic Aspects of Negation in Portuguese Sign Language: The Case of the NO_HAVER Gesture), delves into the linguistic mechanisms of negation in Portuguese Sign Language (LGP).

Completed with honours, the thesis presents "a more in-depth description of the linguistic structure of negation, clarifying grammatical patterns and contributing to the advancement of studies on LGP, a language that is still scarcely researched and known in scientific circles."

With this achievement, Helena leaves not only a message of motivation, but also a very concrete contribution to LGP and the teaching of this language, "promoting a better knowledge of its structure and functioning, as well as its valorisation and preservation."

Alongside this historic milestone, Helena believes that there is still much to be done to guarantee accessibility in higher education, such as: "having LGP interpreters qualified in translating between Portuguese and Portuguese Sign Language, as well as “notetakers” -  for typing up summaries of classes or lectures."

‘Facing limitations, obstacles or difficulties is part of the academic journey, but for deaf people like me, this challenge is even greater,’ comments Helena. ‘However, none of these difficulties should be an impediment to achieving our goals.’