John "Jock" Young (1926–2005) was a British deaf rights campaigner. He was deaf and a British Sign Language user.

Early life

Jock Young was born in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

and received his education at the Glasgow Institute for the Deaf in Langside. He had ambitions to become an electrical engineer, but after leaving school he was sent for an apprenticeship to a shoe maker and repairer. After completing his apprenticeship, he got a job for the shoe repairing firm Napier's. He then took a job with Singer in Clydebank as a night shift supervisor, and then for Rolls-Royce in Hillington. Young then took a part-time role as Youth and Community Officer for the Glasgow and West of Scotland Society of the Deaf, and then was hired as Social Work Assistant for the Edinburgh and East of Scotland Society of the Deaf, role he kept until he retired in 1991. Young was the Honorary Secretary of Scottish Regional Council (SRC) of the British Deaf Association (BDA) from 1969 to 1983.

Chair of the British Deaf Association

In 1983, during the Torquay Congress, Jock Young became Chair of the BDA, the first Deaf person ever to be elected as chair. Murray Holmes (also deaf and Scottish) was elected as vice-chair. Young continued to work in that role until 1992. During his tenure, the BDA achieved remarkable public recognition.

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

became a dedicated patron of the Association and she committed to learn some

British Sign Language British Sign Language (BSL) is a sign language used in the United Kingdom and is the first or preferred language among the Deafness in the United Kingdom, deaf community in the UK. While private correspondence from William Stokoe hinted at a f ...

. After years of work, in 1993 the Dictionary of British Sign Language was published. Along with Arthur Verney, Young helped to set up the European Community Regional Secretariat of the World Federation of the Deaf, now known as the

European Union of the Deaf The European Union of the Deaf (EUD) is a supraorganization comprising each respective National Association of the Deaf of the member states of the European Union. The EUD is a nonprofit organization founded in 1985 and is a Regional Co-operating ...

. It was launched in 1985, and Young served as Honorary Director until 1991. In 1988 the organisation achieved the recognition of sign languages of the European Community's member states.

Personal life

Young was married to Lilian Lawson, who worked along with him at the

British Deaf Association The British Deaf Association (BDA) is a deaf-led British charity that campaigns and advocates for deafness, deaf people who use British Sign Language. History It was preceded by the National Association for the Deaf and Dumb (NADD), which had be ...

(BDA) during the 80s. Young was a badminton player and a keen member of the Glasgow Deaf Drama Club. He also served on the Glasgow Mission committee. He was awarded with an

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

in 1992 for his services to the Deaf community.

References

Deaf activists British activists with disabilities Scottish deaf people BSL users {{DEFAULTSORT:Young, Jock 1926 births 2005 deaths Officers_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire