Campaigner for Deaf People Wins Top Award

The work of a passionate advocate and educator at Deaf-led charity SignHealth has won the prestigious Charity Champion Award at the ScottishPower Foundation Awards.

Robin Ash has been honoured for his groundbreaking work improving healthcare access for the Deaf community and received £10,000 for SignHealth.

Drawing on lived experience, Robin travels across England and Wales delivering British Sign Language (BSL) workshops that empower Deaf people to understand their rights under the Accessible Information Standard (AIS) and advocate for themselves in medical settings.

His sessions also support healthcare professionals in meeting AIS requirements - a vital step, given that only 35% currently receive regular training.

SignHealth’s research reveals that 81% of Deaf patients have attended appointments where their communication needs weren’t met. Thanks to Robin’s workshops, many professionals now routinely ask about communication needs and ensure BSL interpreters are booked in advance. 

“I’m honoured to have my work recognised by the ScottishPower Foundation,” said Robin, a Community Engagement Officer at SignHealth. 

“Campaigning for fair and equal healthcare access for Deaf people has been my lifelong passion. This prize money will help our fantastic team here at SignHealth to reach even more people within the Deaf community, delivering life-saving workshops across the country.” 

For further information about the work of SignHealth visit https://signhealth.org.uk/.

Details on all the winners and runners-up of the ScottishPower Foundation Awards are available at scottishpowerfoundation.com.