Rebecca Roberts Rebecca was born profoundly deaf and wore her first set of hearing aids when she was 9 months old. She spent her educational years as the only deaf person in a mainstream school. At university, she learned British Sign Language (BSL). She had surgery for a cochlear implant in October 2022 and writes “so far it has been wonderful and exhausting at the same time, learning to hear in a different way, especially the voices of my two young sons, aged 3 and 7...
Wendy worked for many years in deaf education as a qualified Teacher of the Deaf and Educational Audiologist. She has worked in schools for the deaf, resource bases for deaf children and young people in mainstream education and as peripatetic teacher of the deaf. Wendy wrote a book with a Deaf parent of one of the deaf children she worked with “ Deafability not Disability”. She also worked for the RNID/Red Cross in Romania training staff in schools...
Vivien Ogg BA (Hons) MSc (Aud) Vivien has over 30 years of experience as Head of Audiology and teacher at Mary Hare School – a special school for the Deaf in Newbury, Berkshire. In addition, Vivien had a key role in training teachers and audiologists under the Mary Hare /Oxford Brookes University partnership. She was an Audiology module leader and lecturer on the Teacher of the Deaf course and has led workshops and day courses for a range of...
Trish Wrinch Tricia spent over 30 years working in Human Resources. Now retired, she is enjoying working with her fellow trustees to support the vital work of the charity. Her link to it is through Queenswood School, which Sandy Blakeway Smith – the original founder of the Mandalay School for Deaf Children – also attended. She is currently Chair of the Old Queenswoodians’ Association and a Queenswood Governor. ...
John Parsons After teaching History for six years at Haileybury, where my long-lasting friendship with David and Sandy Blakeway Smith began, I joined the Council of Europe (Strasbourg), becoming ultimately Head of Translation there. I am currently Chairman of AAPOCAD, an association of retirees from seven international organisations), Chairman of AIACE, the association of Council of Europe retirees, and Federal President of the European Civil Service Federation (FFPE). ...
Pauline Edgar BAHons PGCE Pauline has worked in education in the state and independent sector for nearly 40 years. Before taking on Headship, she was Head of Sixth Form, Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator and Head of History and Politics at Francis Holland School. She continues to be involved in education as a Governor (Islington Futures Federation). She is passionate about opening up educational opportunities for children whatever their circumstances. ...
Robin Youngs MD FRCS Robin is an ENT Consultant Surgeon in West Suffolk who has an interest in the treatment of deafness. He assisted David Blakeway Smith in establishing the Mandalay School for the Deaf Charity. He has been involved with deafness initiatives in low-income countries for 25 years and is also a Director of The Britain Nepal Otology Service. He has close connections with ENT surgeons in Myanmar, having organized educational activities since 2002. He established and was the Lead for...
Robert Frost BSc Hons, PGCert Robert is a senior lecturer at De Montfort University in Leicester and also a registered Audiologist, having previously spent nearly 20 years working in the NHS. Robert has worked in both Adult and Paediatric diagnostic and rehabilitative roles and developed a specialist interest in working with adults with learning difficulties and children with Hyperacusis and tinnitus. He continues to hold an honorary contract with a local NHS Trust to work clinically. Robert has also been actively...
Anne Dearle JP NFF B.Ed Having been Froebel trained, she has had a life-long interest in child development and education. By teaching a wide age range of children and adults, she developed a special interest in dyslexia and other problems which affect children’s and adults’ lives. Consequently she set up Special Needs Departments in a number of preparatory schools and at Bryanston School in Dorset. She has been a magistrate for 31 years, gaining experience in all areas of court work. However,...