Deafblind Woman wins Women in Data Award

The Royal National Institute of Blind People’s (RNIB) Social Media Analyst has won an award recognising women who are tech leaders, innovative, different, and pushing boundaries.

Jane Manley (pictured above) won the Women in Data Award for creating a workbook that could analyse across all fourteen RNIB Facebook groups, pulling thousands of bites of data and analysing them.

Jane, who is deafblind, uses the data to gain an insight into the lived experience of the blind and partially sighted community to help drive positive change. 

“It’s been amazing to be part of the Women in Data experience and to be recognised for the data abilities RNIB has, which I happen to be part of, which is even better,” said Jane.

“So many people are unaware that charities understand, investigate and share with others and the difference our abilities make.

“I love being where you don’t expect to see deafblind women to help change opinions of dual sensory loss one day at a time.

“I’m accepting this award not just for me and the things I’m passionate about, but for everything RNIB enables me to do.”

Outside of work, Jane volunteers with Hair & Care and Make Fashion Accessible projects and has recently been elected Trustee for the Technology Association of Visually Impaired People (TAVIP).

“Jane’s work is dispelling myths that blind and partially sighted people cannot have careers in STEM,” said the judges of the Women in Data Awards.

“Her research has been used by the European Union to adopt ways of organising social listening data to understand the lived experience of the blind and partially sighted community. Jane is making data and the world accessible for all.”