John Hay received an MBE for services to the Deaf
community and higher education.
He said: “I am very much honoured to be recognised by both the
Queen and the Prime Minister for my services both to the University
of Wolverhampton and to Deaf people, whom I have served on a purely
voluntary basis for more than 35 years.
“I must acknowledge my fellow colleagues at the University for
their tremendous encouragement in my personal and professional
development.
“I am also greatly indebted to my wife, Shirley, and my two
sons for their continuous enduring support for my involvement
within the Deaf communities both in Edinburgh and the West
Midlands.”
John, aged 58, of Castlecroft, is originally from Edinburgh
but moved to Wolverhampton in 1998. He is an extremely proactive
and well-known member of the Deaf community and has undertaken many
key roles and projects.
He has played a key role in the development of the subject
area of Deaf Studies and has been Senior Lecturer in Deaf Studies
and British Sign Language/English Interpreting at the University’s
School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences for around a
decade.
Professor Geoff Hurd, University of Wolverhampton Deputy
Vice-Chancellor, said: “John has had a remarkable career and has
shown great energy and dedication in his wide-ranging activities
for the British Deaf community.
“We are delighted that his achievements have been recognised
in this way.”
Barbara Gwinnett, Dean of the School of Humanities, Languages
and Social Sciences, added: “We are very proud of John's
achievements and his tireless work for the Deaf community.”
John’s roles include Chairman and Trustee of the British Deaf
History Society, Trustee of BID Services for Deaf People and Vice
President of the Midlands Regional Association for the Deaf.
He has a string of awards to his name and was named Teacher of
the Year by peers at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001.
He is also a founder and contributor to the annual Deaf Film
and Television Festival and has broadcast for BBC See Hear.
John also attended Guildhall to receive a Churchill
Fellowship medallion. This followed a globe-trotting mission to
discover more about international centres and archives pertaining
Deaf people. It is hoped his findings will be used to set up a UK
museum and archival centre related to deaf culture and
history.
