Throughout his 65 years’ involvement in teaching and learning, Ken has developed a particular expertise in Deafness and SEN (Special Educational Needs), due in part to having a deaf daughter.He has been highly entrepreneurial helping to set up a number of charitable companies/companies limited by guarantee, namely: Deafax, Breakthrough (deaf/hearing) Integration Trust (now DeafPlus), FYD (Friends for Young Deaf People), AACT (Access-Ability Communications Technology), AACT4Children; Deafkidz International; DisabledChild-India; Deaf Aspirations; Decibels/Decibels International, Ability2Access, EASiTEC (Easy Access Solutions for Inclusion, Technology, Education and Communication); GOALS4LIFE Global Online Assisted Learning & Support) & all of which are operating locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.
His school career took him to Millfield, an enterprising International School, having been awarded a Sports scholarship and he is now a Distinguished Old Millfieldian. He was in the Royal Marines on National Service and travelled extensively. During his academic career, he studied at Loughborough University, London University and the University of Surrey. He was delighted when he was made an Associate Professor at the National Centre on Deafness, California State University, Northridge, Los Angeles; been given a Gold Medal as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine and entitled to be a Member of the Victory Services Club.
His teaching and lecturing appointments have taken him to Public and State Schools (First teaching appointment was at the Oratory School), the Berkshire Education Audiology Service, City Literary Institute Centre for the Deaf, Bulmershe College of Higher Education now the Institute of Education, University of Reading where he was the Research Director of the Reading Consortium Support Services. At the same time, he was responsible for setting up the National Network and European Bureau of Deaf Students.
One of his many attributes has been to network extensively throughout the world with individuals associated with Digital Technologies, Politics, Music, Companies/Foundations and Academics who have helped enormously to enhance his pioneering work mainly in the field of Innovative Technologies and Inclusion. Probably the most influential person has been Dr Vinton Cerf, the architect/inventor of the Internet and Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist who is now Deafax’s Honorary President.
