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Prestigious honour for University lecturer

03/09/2008
John Hay receives his MBE from the Queen
 
John Hay was officially recognised yesterday (Dec 2) for services to the Deaf community and higher education.
 
He said: “It was truly an memorable experience with everyone so friendly, starting from the Palace gates till the end of the investiture photo session.
 
“The Queen was so captivating when I spoke about my lecturing at the University of Wolverhampton and how it enables young people being prepared to bridge communication between deaf people with the rest of society.”
 
He said the Queen acknowledged the importance of his work “with sparkling eyes and a lovely smile”.
 
John, 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.”
 
John added: “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’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.
 
John added he had enjoyed a wonderful day at the Palace and had also enjoyed meeting Des O’Connor.
 
ENDS
 
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