The BDA Board of Trustees have accepted the nomination panels decision that Agnes Dyab has met the relevant criteria for the Chair. As a result of this, there will be no Chair election and AGNES DYAB is duly elected as the new incoming Chair 2018-2021
The BDA Board of Trustees congratulates and welcomes Agnes and look forward to working with her and the new board to deliver a constructive and smooth handover.
Agnes will succeed Dr Terry Riley OBE after the BDA AGM on 14th April 2018.
Agnes says “I am very honoured and excited to be taking on the role of the Chair of Britain’s oldest and leading Deaf People’s Organisation. I consider it is a great privilege and look forward to working with the new Board and the Chief Executive Officer to continue developing further and also campaigning for our fair and equal rights in wider society. I am determined that the BDA with members, staff and stakeholders will ensure to remove inequality and deaf discrimination"
Terry congratulates Agnes, “I am extremely honoured and proud that the new chair is Agnes and she brings many years of experience of the BDA and Deaf Education
Over this last term the BDA has focused on the BSL Legal Status and with the success of BSL Scotland Act, we have been working with the Political parties in both Northern Ireland Stormont and Westminster to seek ways to get a legal status for BSL & ISL in both the NI Assembly and Parliament.
Agnes now brings a new dimension with her passion for Deaf Education and this is right in that the BDA was founded on Sign Language and Deaf Education after Milan.
It’s now over 127 years since the BDA was formed, and it is great that we now have the first woman chair of the BDA along with the diversity, new energy and desires of the newly elected board of trustees.
I know the BDA’s future is assured and in good hands"
