Management Committee
Win Burton is the mother of two profoundly deaf sons, raised using Cued Speech, and two hearing children - all now grown up. She has a BA Hons Oxford in Modern Languages and a Tri-lingual Graduate Secretarial Diploma from South Bank Polytechnic, London. She did a traineeship at the European Commission, Brussels before becoming Information Officer, Ecumenical Centre, Brussels (European Commission lobbying on behalf of the non-Catholic Churches).
While in Belgium she was involved in voluntary work, including being Vice-President of APEDAF (the Belgian Association of Parents of Deaf Children) and their delegate to the FEPEDA (European Association of Parents of Deaf Children); working as a classroom assistant for a deaf child; giving English Cued Speech lessons for Belgian and Swiss Cued Speech Associations; training as a relay parent with NDCS and setting up a relay parent team; and supporting English-speaking parents of children born deaf in Belgium.
On her return to paid work, she co-ordinated the multi-faith initiative set up by the European Commission "Giving a Soul to Europe" and continued in voluntary work. In 2006, Win returned to the UK and was elected to Management Committee of the Cued Speech Association UK; also continuing work with the World Conference of Religions for Peace and doing voluntary work helping children with reading difficulties
Win's two deaf sons were brought up bilingually thanks to Cued Speech - in French (at Belgian School) and English (at home). Cued Speech also enabled them to learn basic Flemish (obligatory in Belgian schools).
Christine Cottam has a BSc Hons Health Studies and a BSc Hons Community Health Care Nursing. She initially worked at the Post Office dealing with queries from the public and preparing cases for court on outstanding accounts.
She is the mother of two totally deaf children who were brought up using Cued Speech. In order to access the best provision of Cued Speech in education, the family moved from the South East to the South West of England, where Christine worked in the NHS as a clinical nurse manager and is currently employed as a nurse manager in Community Services.
Christine has been, and still is, an active user of Cued Speech with her children. She has assisted at Cued Speech Summer Schools as a volunteer and examiner and joined the Management Committee in 2003. Both her children have benefited enormously from having Cued Speech as their primary means of communication. Their exposure to ‘visual speech' has enabled them to live independently and for one to work in a prestigious museum in London where he is undergoing training to become an assistant curator. Christine says ‘There is no doubt in my mind that, had it not been for Cued Speech, their lives in a predominantly hearing world would not be so rich or fulfilling.'
Andrew Garratt is a media and public affairs professional, currently working for the Royal Statistical Society, with previous experience working for a university and for Members of Parliament. He has written on community campaigning and influencing policy makers for an educational charity and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations. Andrew served for 15 years as a local authority councillor. He was a Cabinet member on Bournemouth Borough Council for 2 years and has also been a school governor and a hospital trust governor.
Andrew took a Level 1 BSL examination in the mid-1990s. His interest in Cued Speech derives from friendship with a Cued Speech user. He has provided advice on parliamentary engagement to the Cued Speech Association and has occasionally represented it at networking events. Andrew's particular interest is in helping the Association develop its strategic planning, providing a framework for business planning and policy making. In addition, he aims to use his communication and public affairs skills and knowledge to raise awareness of Cued Speech and influence policy-making within government and its agencies.
Tim Hailstone was born in the East Midlands into a farming family but has spent most of his career living in cities and working in the publishing industry. Over the years he has published everything from popular fiction and general non-fiction through to academic and professional (including medical) books and journals. He has started and built publishing businesses and also run divisions of large international publishing houses. His most recent full time management role was as Executive Chairman of The Stationery Office. Tim is now retired from day-to-day work but has a number of non-executive roles including the Chairs of Dr Foster Intelligence, a prominent health informatics company and Medicals Direct, a leading independent provider of healthcare services to the insurance, legal and corporate sectors. He lives in Dartmouth, where Cued Speech has its office and is also a Trustee of Dartmouth Caring, a local charity that provides a wide variety of services for those living in and around Dartmouth.
Tina Kirwin is a qualified teacher of deaf children (B.Ed Hons/Ad Dip Ed) and has held the position as Literacy Co-ordinator and Senior Teacher within the Management Team of the Manchester Hearing Needs Service for the last 7 years. Tina teaches deaf children who are educated either through BSL or using an oral approach from newborn to year 11. She supports pupils both at home and in schools, mainstream and special.
She has been using Cued Speech with many of these pupils for teaching lipreading, phonic skills and spelling. She introduced Cued Speech to the Service and 19 staff have now had some degree of training within it, many using it with pupils, one of whom is now at an advanced level. Tina runs a fortnightly Cued Speech club for parents and staff which is well attended. The leader of the Disabled Children's Team for Manchester City Council is promoting Cued Speech, with Tina's support, across the city's children centres.
Ken Orpin is the grandfather of a deaf child brought up with Cued Speech. Ken's early career was with the Merchant Navy, before moving into a sales career in the food industry. He later moved into the shop-fitting business with his own company, fitting out shops and organising exhibitions throughout the UK. For the past 26 years Ken has run a painting and decorating business.
Ken became aware of the Cued Speech Association after his granddaughter was born deaf. She lives in France with her parents and brother, who all attended a Cued Speech course in Exeter. His granddaughter, now 11, not only speaks fluent French and English but uses Cued Speech and signing in both languages. The whole family has benefited enormously by learning to cue.
Ken attended a Foundation course in Exeter three years ago and loves communicating with his granddaughter. He also enjoys speaking about and promoting the Cued Speech Association from a grandfather's point of view and therefore accepted an offer to become a Trustee. He has served on several committees including the Scout Movement and Choral Societies. He helps with our fundraising by constantly getting others to part with their old mobile phones! Ken also hopes to arrange a charity concert soon, raising some much needed funds for the charity.
Harold Silver taught in further and higher education, was a Professor of Education and Social History at Chelsea College, University of London, and Principal of Bulmershe College of Higher Education, Reading. He specializes in the history of education, and most of his publications in recent years have been on the history of higher education and policy in Britain and the US. His most recent books have been Higher Education and Opinion Making in England in the 19th Century and Tradition and Higher Education. He has co-authored (including with his wife, Pamela Silver) over twenty other books. He has also been involved in the UK and internationally in institutional and project evaluation. His recent roles have included Visiting Research Professor at the Open University and visiting professorships at other universities. He has masters degrees from Cambridge and Hull Universities, doctorates from Cambridge and the Council for National Academic Awards, and honorary doctorates from the Universities of Plymouth and Winchester.
We are extremely grateful to all members of our Management Committee, with their wide range of skills and experiences, for their time and input to the Cued Speech Association UK.
