Queen Alexandra College
Court Oak Road
Harborne
Birmingham
B17 9TG
Tel: 0121 428 5050 (main switchboard)
Fax 0121 428 5048
Arrange an informal visit: 0121 428 5041
Check progress of your application: 0121 428 5015
Fundraising: 0121 428 5064
Advance2work: 0800 234 6859
E-mail: enquiries@qac.ac.uk
QAC's Governors - click here to read pen portraits of QAC's Governors
QAC Senior Management Team
Principal
Hugh J Williams
T. 0121 428 5016
Email: hwilliams@qac.ac.uk
Vice Principal
Iain Issott
T. 0121 428 5015
Email: iissott@qac.ac.uk
Personnel, estates and student services
Angela Litchfield
T. 0121 428 5014
Email: alitchfield@qac.ac.uk
Finance
Graham Woodhouse
T. 0121 428 5033
Email: gwoodhouse@qac.ac.uk
Marketing, potential learner enquiries, enterprises, QAC Sight Village
Ray Piggott
T. 0121 428 5041
Email: ray@qac.ac.uk
Residential care, ‘Preparation for Life’ programmes, ‘Work Preparation’ programmes, Advance2work
Michael Gray
T. 0121 428 5029
Email: mgray@qac.ac.uk
Other contacts:
Admissions Officer
Rachel Wright
T. 0121 428 5015
Email: rwright@qac.ac.uk
Transition
Heather Darby
hdarby@qac.ac.uk
College nursing team
T. 0121 428 5080/5081
College Hostels:
Ashwood – 0121 428 5065
Hambland – 0121 428 5066
Mary Badger House – 0121 428 5067
TSB – 0121 428 5068
Winfield – 0121 428 5044
Woodville – 0121 428 5069
The number 103 bus stop is right outside the College, this can be caught from Colmore Row in Birmingham City Centre
Those coming by train from outside Birmingham will need to get a taxi from New Street Railway Station.
The nearest Railway station is Five-Ways from there you can catch the number 21, 22, 23 or 103 buses to Queen Alexandra College, check train times at RailTrack.
Alternatively go to the Multimap.com website.
QAC's Governor Pen Portraits
David Corney (Chair of Governors)
Elizabeth Chapman OBE
Colin Fowler
Dave Heeley
Steve McCall
Anne Mitchell
John Penny
Veronica Wootten
David Corney (Chair of Governors)
Born in Handsworth, Birmingham in 1939, David was educated at King Edwards School, Birmingham and worked all his life in the City.
Articled at Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co. (now KPMG), he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1963. He joined another leading Birmingham firm which became (in 1990) Coopers and Lybrand. He specialised in audit and accountancy work and was also a licensed Insolvency Practitioner acting as Liquidator and/or Receiver of hundreds of companies as well as dealing with
Bankruptcy and Voluntary Arrangements for individuals. He retired from practice in 1995.
David has been involved with charity work for many years, in addition to being a Governor of Brib and Queen Alexandra College he is a Trustee of the local village Charity where he lives, an Almshouse Charity (both as Chairman), a major West Midlands Housing Association and an independent school.
In his spare time David is involved in field sports, watching rugby, football and sailing - both racing and cruising.
back
After leaving school Elizabeth obtained secretarial qualifications and became Secretary to a Hospital Matron in Leicester, undertaking voluntary Red Cross Nursing and studying English Literature and Language at evening classes.
Attending university gained an Honours Degree in English and qualified for teaching with a Diploma in Education at Leeds. Teaching English at Howells School and becoming a Housemistress at this highly academic school for girls was a rigorous learning experience in education! From there moved into special education becoming Vice Principal of the Royal National College for the Blind for some years. Qualified through the College of Teachers of the Blind, receiving the Arthur Pearson Award, feeling that this training was limited accepted a post at the University of Birmingham as tutor for the specialist training courses for teachers of visually impaired pupils and students. Was able to increase the size and status of this course from a Supplementary Certificate to Degree level, and in time, to develop a distance mode of training attracting students nationally. Obtaining an M.Ed and publishing a standard text on the education of visually impaired pupils and students led to further publications and research co-operation with Professor Tobin on a project for young children with low vision (Look and Think). Overseas work increased and in vacations and after retirement from the university became extensive. This included projects for UNESCO in Greece and Portugal, an extensive programme for the British Red Cross in Romania and courses for the British Council in Tanzania and Turkey. Work for the International Council for the Education of the Visually Impaired included courses in Cyprus, Spain, Netherlands, Denmark, Bulgaria, Germany, France and Madeira. Some of this developed into work with the governments of these countries and she became Chairman of the European Region of ICEVI for five years.
Elizabeth became founding Chairman of OPSIS and was awarded the OBE for services to education in 1988. The National Federation for the Blind gave her the Louis Braille Award in 1998.
She has served on the RNIB Overseas and Education Committee and as a member of their Executive Council, a Councillor of the Royal London Society for the Blind and a Governor of St Vincents School, Liverpool and Vice President of Royal National College for the Blind.
Elizabeth has retired from the Board of Governors of New College Worcester, Exhall Grange Coventry and Royal National College for the Blind. She continues her membership of the Board of Governors of Queen Alexandra College and is particularly interested in the work of the Curriculum Committee. She enjoys the contact this brings with staff and students.
She is on the Board of Directors of Pinner Court and enjoys her interests and continuing involvement with the education of visually impaired pupils and students at QAC.
back
Colin has been a member of staff at Aston University for thirty six years, and is now semi-retired as an Academic Support Officer in Optometry. Prior to this he was in private practice as an optician in Luton, and also spent a year working at Oxford Eye Hospital. His particular interests are spectacle lens performance and also the optical management of low vision.
Besides being a sometime member of both the Senate and Council at Aston, Colin has a number of external interests including being the Chairman of the Birmingham Low Vision Services Committee, the 2002-2003 Chairman of the Heads of UK Optometry Departments Committee (BUCO), a member of the BSI Committee on sunglasses, and a member of the Secretary of State for Transport’s Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on vision and driving.
His hobbies include reading, photography, skiing (badly) and dinghy sailing (very badly). He has two children – Philip a Research Bio-Physicist and Claire a Veterinary Surgeon.
back
Dave was born 24th November 1957, but any one asking him, on his next birthday he will be 39 and 156 months. He is married to wife Debbie whom he whisked off to Gretna Green (a romantic at heart). They have a hat trick of girls whom he is very proud of; also an important member of the family is guide dog Wicksie.
He was always known as a clumsy kid, never a day passed without cuts, bruises or a broken pair of glasses, until at around ten years of age all was revealed, he was diagnosed with an eye complaint called Retinitas Pigmentosa, just a slight problem, it meant he was going blind. When first diagnosed he was quite a celebrity at school, “Wow Dave’s going blind”, no one else was so it was a case of “ I’ve got some thing you haven’t got”. He attended mainstream schools, Greets Green Junior and George Salter High School, his only claim to fame; he was the town champion at 1500 metres for five years.
The realisation of his eye complaint hit him with some force at the age of seventeen, his career in the army shattered and with all his friends taking driving tests made him realise the true implications of going blind, it was at this point he inwardly started feeling sorry for himself, “Why me”, but in life there are two paths to tread, negative or positive and as he will tell you he took the positive route.
Regardless of his sight problem, he’s had a varied working career, mainly office bound, other than his short stint on a fork lift truck, he admits he wasn’t always honest about his sight problem, he had his own company for around seven years, distributing suspended ceilings, partitions, dry lining and joinery, he loved the buying and selling but with bad luck, bad debt and bad eye sight, all good things come to an end. After spending three years at the Queen Alexandra College for the Blind where he achieved skills in Braille, computers, carpentry and wood turning, it’s now easy for him to lose himself in his workshop where he loves to design and make all kinds of furniture. He now even has a weekly radio slot on Insight radio called DIY with Blind Dave and still no fingers missing!
Dave tried hard over the years to conceal his blindness but with his eyesight gradually declining the accidents kept increasing until he had to admit defeat and resort to using the white stick, which made him feel incapable, vulnerable and extremely frustrated
Suddenly overnight Dave’s life was changed when he was introduced to Peter his first Guide Dog. No longer the hunched figure trawling the footpath, but full of confidence, standing and walking tall, feeling very proud, striding out with a sure footed four legged friend, mobility assured, as for independence, the perfect recipe for adventure, with a social life, second to none, his only regret is not having a Guide Dog sooner.
For fun he’s up for most challenges, he’s had a go at most things, ski-ing, water ski-ing, horse riding, cliff jumping in Corfu, drove around Brands Hatch, rode motor bikes, drove a tank in the Highlands of Scotland, abseiled, was let loose in a speed boat, completed the Go Ape course in Grisedale forest, an Aerial assault course in the trees and he certainly enjoys his running. Competing in many half marathons, including the Great North and South runs along with the New York marathon and to date completing his 7th consecutive London marathon. Oh! And of course completing 7 marathons in 7 days on 7 continents the ultimate challenge! Not forgetting he is now also the first blind person in the world to achieve this.
After completing the epic challenge, which took him on a running journey around the world, as stated previously, running 7 marathons, in 7 days, over 7 continents, which began on 7th April 2008 in the Falkland Islands (Antarctica), Rio, Brazil, (South America),
Los Angeles, (North America), Sydney, (Australasia), Dubai, (Asia), Tunisia, (Africa), with the challenge ending in the Flora London marathon, (Europe), on 13th April 2008.
The challenge launched Dave into a new career as a “Motivational Speaker” with a diverse audience i.e. After Dinner, Corporate, Colleges, Schools, Special needs etc.
A fitting end to 2008 was Blind Dave and his running guide being acknowledged at the BBC Midlands Sports Awards as the winners of the “Outstanding sporting achievement of 2008.
2009 sees Dave becoming the Physical Activities Champion for Sandwell Council and an Ambassador for the Birmingham Half Marathon. He was also acknowledged with an award by the High Sheriff of the West Midlands. Since the challenge he has been involved with many charities, including running the first Birmingham half marathon for the Kidney Kids appeal with “Team Blind Dave” and the last Flora London Marathon with a personal best time of 3 hours and 24 minutes.
In recognition of Dave’s charity work over the years he was invited to Buckingham Palace for a Christmas reception with the Queen and also to a function at the House of Lords. What ever is coming next?
Please take a moment to have a look on his website, www.blinddaveheeley.co.uk
back
Steve is a Senior Lecturer in Education (Visual Impairment) at the School of Education, University of Birmingham. He is a Co-Director of the Visual Impairment Centre for Teaching and Research (VICTAR) and joint editor of the British Journal of Visual Impairment (BJVI). Prior to joining the University in 1986 he taught for six years in the Primary Department at St Vincent's School for the Visually Impaired in Liverpool and spent seven years on the Isle of Wight as a peripatetic teacher of blind and partially sighted children in integrated settings.
He is currently heading research on the inclusion of children with visual impairment in developing countries for Sightsavers International and the International Council for the Education of the Visually Impaired (ICEVI). He has completed a number of funded research projects including investigations of the Moon Code as a route to literacy for blind children with additional learning difficulties, and has published widely in academic journals.
Steve is programme tutor for the training mandatory programmes in visual impairment for teachers and also manages the programme for lecturers in FE ‘Supporting Learners with Visual Impairment in Further Education’ His publications include ‘Visual Impairment – access to education for children and young people’ and ‘Learning Through Touch’, and 'The Birmingham Braille Course': He is a committee member of the Braille Authority of the United Kingdom and was Vice President of the ICEVI from 2002 - 2006.
His research interests include:
Steve has 3 grown children and to keep in shape plays football and enjoys gardening.
back
Anne Mitchell
Born in London, the last of nine children formed from the union of two families and with one brother and a number of wonderful half siblings. Attended a comprehensive school and further education college to complete A levels followed by a degree in philosophy and English at the University of Kent.
After graduating undertook a professional social work qualification and practised as a social worker in London and the West Midlands before leaving social work to begin a new career as a lecturer in a further education college. Qualified as a teacher in 1990 and has undertaken many roles within further education including 12 years as a senior manager.
In addition, has several years experience as a registered part time inspector with Ofsted.
Currently Deputy Principal of a general further education college with around 1800 students aged 14-19 and approximately 5000 adult students, including a high number of young people with emotional and behavioural difficulties and over 400 students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities.
Has served as a member of the Standards Committee of the Corporation of an adult education college for around 3 years and joined the Board of Governors of QAC in 2008.
Hobbies include reading, walking, travelling, and spending time with my son, daughter, 2 step daughters and grandson.
Continues to undertake voluntary work in her local community whenever time permits.
John Penny
After serving an industrial apprenticeship with the English Electric Co, John was a member of staff at Aston University for over forty years and was sometime Head of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Dept and later Director of Research in the School of Engineering. He is now retired and is an Emeritus Professor. His professional interests were, and still are, structural and rotor dynamics. He has written and continues to write books on dynamics and mathematics.
His hobbies include reading, walking, railway history and technology, and astronomy. He frequently gives talks and presentations on aspects of astronomy and is a member of the management committees of the City of Birmingham Group of the Ramblers and the Birmingham Astronomical Society.
He is a Trustee of Extend Exercise Training, a charity that promotes health and independence for those over-sixty and for less able people of all ages.
John is married with three children and five grandchildren.
back
Born is 1932 in Northfield, Birmingham the third child of six. Educated at Edgbaston High School for Girls and during the war 1940-1944 at Trafalgar School, Montreal, Canada, followed by three years studying for an economics degree at Girton College, Cambridge. Between school and university worked for a time on the shop floor at Cadbury Bournville. After Cambridge married and had three children, joined when our youngest was 2 years old by my orphaned niece and nephew then aged four and two. Now enjoying role of granny to ten grand-children at latest count.
Joined the Board of Governors of Lickey Grange which was situated near the bottom of our garden in the mid-sixties and at the request of the then Brib Chairman Tommy Hurst, moved to QAC and have been involved with Brib and QAC ever since. Was also a Governor of Hethersett (now Redhill) as Brib’s representative for many years when we used to reciprocate.
Have been involved with many other voluntary committees over the years, but particularly as a Trustee of the Bournville Village Trust with a main involvement in the sub-committees of Estate Management and Housing Management.
Hobbies apart from travel and reading, mainly sporting, having been a keen tennis and squash player, as well as riding and ski-ing and lately a good deal of time on the golf course.
back
,
