Our Team

Helen read for an English Literature degree at the University of Reading before establishing her own business in educational interpreting and the provision of literacy support for deaf students throughout England. She is a qualified British Sign Language user. She originally joined Deafax as the Programmes Director and has travelled extensively throughout the world (New Zealand, America, France, West Indies, Europe to name but a few) carrying out research into the needs of d/Deaf children and working with professionals in education. These initiatives led to the setting up of a Deafchild UK Consortium of which she was Director, obtaining recognition as a Government approved ICT Training Provider for Teachers of the Deaf. She has been Chief Executive since 2006.

She has been responsible for pioneering a wide and innovative range of programmes in health and education and is Co-founder of Signly which provides synchronous in-vision sign language on websites.

See also: www.signly.co
British Sign Language welcome https://youtu.be/Kg0CLkWVXEc

Ken Carter is the Founder of Deafax and is now the Director of the Deafax Research and Development Unit which is based at the University of Reading. He attended Millfield School and has studied at Loughborough, Surrey and London Universities. In his early years he excelled at sport and undertook duties as a Royal Marine Commando. When he became a parent of a deaf daughter he trained as a teacher of the deaf and went on to work as an advisory lecturer in special needs.

He has been responsible for helping to set up 10 charities/companies limited by guarantee operating as charitable/social entrepreneur and Advisor. For his contribution to preventative medicine and healthcare, he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2007. In 2009 he was awarded an Honorary Degree from Loughborough University as part of their Centenary Celebrations and recently recognized as a Distinguished Old Millfieldian.

Debbie joined Deafax in 2004 and is key in managing the day-to-day administration and co-ordinating the fundraising and pubilicity events. Prior to this, Debbie worked for many years in the Financial Services Sector starting as a member of the New Business Team and ending her career as Executive Assistant to the CEO and Sales Director.

Kirsty has a Doctorate in the study of the linguistics of sign languages and how computers - particularly virtual reality - can be used to generate signing avatars. Formally Deafax’s Director of Operations, Kirsty is now Deafax’s Treasurer advising on the day-to-day financial management as well as sitting on the Board of Trustees.

Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq, who is profoundly deaf, has over 15 years of experience of management and training in the voluntary and statutory sectors. She has expertise in an extensive range of fields including deafness, education, mental health, BME and currently works as a consultant and trainer specializing in health education. In addition she is Chair of the Deaf Ethnic Women’s Association, and works as a Clinical Specialist for the NHS and as an art psychotherapist with a special interest in deaf children and young people with severe emotional and behavioural problems.

As a graduate from St Martins College studying Fine Art and Goldsmiths University in London, she is a renowned artist and has been exhibiting her work since 1992 both nationally and internationally, winning the prestigious Deaf Explorers Arts Award.

Ovais Khan, who is profoundly deaf, has over 15 years’ experience of creating and designing specialist resources, primarily for educational purposes.

He has a wealth of creative ideas and solutions and is renowned for the quality of his people skills.

William Sidebottom has extensive experience of social media and advises on leveraging this to enhance the marketing and publicity of the work of Deafax. He is also a talented musician and songwriter graduating from the University of Westminster in Commercial Music. He was a key in developing Deafax’s music programme.