Prestigious honour for university lecturer

 

John Hay is to receive 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 contributor to the annual Deaf Film and Television Festival and has broadcasted for BBC See Hear.

 

On Friday, John was attending 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.

For more information, please contact Emma Kilvert in the press office on 01902 322003.

 

Ref: 4227/14/06/08/EK

Date issued:  14 June 2008