Here are profiles of some of our D/deaf staff and students.
Supporting students with disabilities in the area of study skills and promoting deaf awareness within the University.
I became a trainee Youth Worker in 1990 and passed the Bessey and Community Youth Work Course one year later, accredited at the time by the Welsh Joint Education Committee.
Between 2000 and 2003, I attended the University of Wales College Newport studying BA Hons Youth and Community Studies. I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a mature student, and it was something I never thought about going to University considering that during my formative years through lack of communication support in my High School I had very little to show academically.
During the period of 2006 – 2008 I studied the Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Post Compulsory Education and Training), which was a compulsory qualification for working as a full time Youth Worker and also a requirement for teaching in Further Education as a Sign Language Teacher.
It was at this time that I was asked if I would be interested in providing Study Skills support to Deaf students who were studying Post Graduate Certificate of Education (Post Compulsory Education and Training). I took this opportunity and have never looked back. It is satisfying sharing the students’ journey and their eventual graduation.
I have been on television a few times notably BBC See Hear, BBC Wales and ITV Wales news, one featuring my winning the BT Young Deaf Achievers Award 1995 and most recently championing the accessibility efforts to the Deaf Community of Sherman 5. In the past articles have been written about me in the British Deaf News about my background as Trustee of the British Deaf Association.
I have appeared in the journal of the Community and Youth Workers Union section of Unite having written some articles about inclusion of deaf young people and deaf youth workers to highlight both needed process and good practice.
Sadly, Rob Wilks no longer works at USW. He has been a lecturer at Cardiff University since 2022. We are keeping his profile on this page to mark his time at USW with pride and to celebrate his achievements. We wish him well in his current and future career.
About
Originally from Newport, I am a Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) user and teach through the medium of BSL.
I have a BA (Hons) degree in History, and commenced my legal training by completing the Graduate Diploma in Law in 2002 and the Legal Practice Course in 2003. I qualified as a solicitor in 2007 following a secondment to South West London Law Centres and Hugh James Solicitors whilst employed by the Royal Association for Deaf people.
On an academic level, I achieved a LLM with Distinction in Law of Employment Relations with the University of Leicester in 2007 and was awarded a doctorate in 2020 by the University of Leicester exploring whether equality law is working for Deaf people and whether sign language recognition will achieve transformative equality.
My specialist area of law is Equality Law and Employment Law, and I am module leader for these optional modules on the LLB programmes.
My research interests – aside from employment and equality law – include sign language recognition and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. I am also passionate about the benefits of clinical legal education and am a strong advocate of clinical work being on par with teaching and research in HE institutions.
I have a website, which you can find here.
Experience
Between 2003 and 2014, I worked for the Royal Association for Deaf people, and my last role before leaving was Director of Legal Services. I was responsible for the RAD Deaf Law Centre which delivered legal advice services to the Deaf community nationally before it closed in 2014 due to the legal aid cuts which took effect after the Legal Aid and Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 was passed.
I also practised as a Consultant Solicitor under Setfords Solicitors between 2014 and 2018, and dealt with a range of employment and discrimination matters, and provided a will-writing service for Deaf people.
Hello! I work in Library Services. I have Usher Syndrome – so I’m profoundly deaf and have a degree of visual impairment. I received cochlear implants about 4 years ago which really improved my ability to hear and recognise speech and sounds. I’m still completely deaf when I switch off at night.
Although BSL is not my first language, I fully support it being integrated into mainstream education & enshrined in national policy. It would provide equal access & opportunities to many talented people who are deprived of showing their true worth through lack of access and understanding.
I have worked in libraries for nearly 30 years: I started out as a public library assistant in the East Midlands before graduating with a library degree from University of Aberystwyth. I worked as a teaching librarian in HE from 2004 and became an Associate of HEA (now AdvanceHE) in 2012. I joined USW in 2018, providing maternity cover for two Faculty Librarians. I now work behind the scenes as Collection Librarian.
I’m responsible for maintaining and updating this guide, so if you’re student or staff and you would like to be included on this page, just drop me a line at catherine.finch@southwales.ac.uk