On Friday 18th November 2022 the Signature Hall of Fame took place at the National Football Museum in Manchester.
The evening brought together 220 members of the deaf community to Manchester, to celebrate the achievements of our all 50 people and organisations on our shortlist and to induct 10 exceptional individuals or organisations into the Hall of Fame.
It was amazing to be back together with friends, and colleagues from across the UK, after the challenging period of the pandemic. The atmosphere was electric as we came together in celebration of those who have gone above and beyond to improve deaf communication over the last 40 years.
The celebration began with the opportunity for our guests to be able to look around the National Football Museum’s exhibits, including a photo opportunity with the Premier League and Women’s Super League trophies, reminding guests of the excellence that would later be on show.
As part of the event, we were delighted to loan to the National Football Museum some deaf football memorabilia, to add to their collection. This included the British Deaf Football Cup and a 2005 Melbourne Deaflympics Gold Medal and Football Shirt, this thanks to our friends at UK Deaf Sport.
As well as looking back, The Hall of Fame was a chance to look forward towards what the next 40 years held. Our audience was asked the question ‘What is your one wish for the deaf community over the next 40 years?’. This is what came out:
We then presented The Stewart Simpson Hall of Fame Award. This unique, one-off award was created in memory of one of the founders of CACDP, Stewart Simpson OBE, who sadly passed away in April 2020. The award celebrates one special person for outstanding individual efforts in the current cultural moment, this was proudly awarded to Rose Ayling-Ellis. Rose was unfortunately unable to attend, so Stewart’s wife, Val Simpson, graciously accepted the award om behalf of Rose.
Now to the Inductees, we had over 250 nominations and the shortlisting and selection processes tested everyone involved.
The inductees are:
Ahmed Mudawi – Ahmed is being inducted as a Deaf TV presenter. He is an inspirational role model and campaigner working for BSL Zone, he works to improve inclusion, he explores and shares his experiences of what it means to be a black deaf person in the UK. Ahmed is also a Sign Language interpreter.
City Lit – City Lit have made their name as a British Sign Language teaching centre for many years but have also made major contributions to deaf people with their annual Deaf Day, as well as other deaf activities and events that they organise and host.
Charlie Swinbourne – Charlie is being inducted as a founder of Limping Chicken, one of the largest independent deaf news sources. Charlie is an award-winning screenwriter, director and journalist who makes ground-breaking dramas, comedies, and documentaries, often with Deaf people and sign language at their heart.
Chief Inspector Emma Gilbert – Chief Inspector Emma Gilbert of Greater Manchester Police has campaigned for accessibility rights to policing for deaf people, helping to develop the national strategy. Internationally, Emma has voluntarily worked on safeguarding deaf children in low resource and humanitarian crisis settings, through her work as criminal justice and safeguarding advisor, and trustee for Deaf Kidz International.
Clark Denmark – Clark Denmark is being inducted as a British activist, lecturer and interpreter. He is widely recognised within the Deaf community for his role in advancing the recognition and wider understanding of BSL.
David Buxton – David Buxton is being inducted as Chief Executive of Action on Disability and former Chair of the British Deaf Association. Whilst David was Chair of BDA he led the BSL Act Now campaign, which resulted in BSL being recognised as a language of England, Wales and Scotland.
Deaf Village North West – Deaf Village North West provide a holistic communication support packages for our Deaf community. They have created a hub that provides specialist services to deaf people comprising of The Deaf Village, a Deaf Hub and The White House.
Leeds City Council Deaf (DAHIT) – DAHIT are known as one of the founding members of the Sign Bilingual Consortium. They have been involved in establishing British Sign Language courses on various levels for many years.
Lipspeaker UK and Lesley Weatherson – Lesley is the founder of Lipspeaker UK, who, for over 20 years, have innovated growth of lipspeaking in the UK. Lipspeaker UK is Britain’s only specialist provider of Lipspeakers.
Performance Interpreting – Performance Interpreting are recognised for their role in opening doors to BSL access across the UK’s live music and entertainment industries. They ensure deaf customers have equitable access and the same magical experiences as everyone else. Performance Interpreting provides deaf performers, deaf and hearing interpreters, deaf access consultants and offer specialist training to ensure a high quality of skilled access provision.
What a great night of celebration it was with so many people coming together.
Lindsay Foster, Executive Director at Signature said:
“The 50 shortlisted individuals and organisations, make me incredibly proud to work in such a passionate, hardworking, and dedicated sector who pull together to achieve great things.
The final group of 10 inductees together show how people and organisations can bring about change both within and outside of the deaf community to improve communication for all, positively influencing accessibility. They are all incredibly deserving of a place in the Signature Hall of Fame for all they have achieved.
We are now excited to be able to permanently honour their achievements through their place in the Signature Hall of Fame.”
Here’s to the next 40 years.