Heather Jackson Award winner 2022 announced
The recipient of this year’s Heather Jackson Award has been revealed.
Jane Cordell (pictured) has been announced as the winner of the annual award, which is presented to a deafened person who has made a significant contribution to the improvement of the welfare and opportunity of deafened people.
Jane has had a varied career as a professional musician, teacher, editor, diplomat, coach, and social entrepreneur.
Deafened since her early twenties, she has actively promoted disability equality and supported people to achieve their full potential.
She uses her experience of exclusion, and the resilience she has developed, in her current role as a Director of Result CIC (Community Interest Company). This social enterprise supports marginalised people to be ‘confidently different’, providing professional coaching and training.
Jane provides inspiration to deafened people through her coaching and lived experiences, proving that deafness is not a barrier to achieving one’s full potential.
She creates awareness of lipspeaking services as one of the most prolific users – her lipspeakers have travelled the world with her which helps raise the profile of this essential profession for deafened people.
The Heather Jackson Award is awarded annually. Heather was NADP’s Chairman until we lost her to cancer in 2007 after a short illness at the age of 58. The Heather Jackson Award, awarded jointly by the National Association of Deafened People (NADP), Hi Kent, and Hearing Link Services each year.
Two runners-up have also been announced this year.
Nick Tedd, despite having a progressive hearing loss, has managed to build a hairdressing business, and demonstrated that hearing loss should not keep people back from achieving their dreams. In his chain of salons, he has created an inclusive environment for clients with hearing loss utilising various alternative ways to communicate from the introduction of clear masks to offering tablets to choose hair styles. This was particularly important following lockdown when masks introduced barriers to communication. He is also an artist and blogger.
Marjorie Woodward is also a runner-up. Marjorie’s involvement as a volunteer with deafened and hard of hearing people extends over 30 years. Her first work was with the British Association for the Hard of Hearing (BAHoH), which has since become Hearing Link. She also set up the Thanet Hard of Hearing Club, which she ran for many years, and worked with Hi Kent.
The presentation of awards and certificates will be made at the NADP annual conference taking place in London on Saturday 15 October.