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Honorary Master of Arts, 2000
Bio | Citation

Deceased 2010

The award of Honorary Master of Arts was conferred on Mrs Barbara Dyer for her service to the underprivileged of society; her work to prevent the institutional treatment of those with learning difficulties, and her concern for women in prison.

Barbara Dyer worked in children's welfare before becoming a teacher, later taking a year's sabbatical to study the psychoanalytical basis for the education of maladjusted children. She then became the first Education Officer at HM Women's Security Prison at Bulwood Hall, Essex, which led to her first book, sold to a film production company for the film Scrubbers - unique in its exposé of life in a women's prison.

Other work has been to ameliorate the condition of mentally handicapped people in care and to promote a university experience for people with a learning disability. She has contributed her experience and expertise to universities in innovative courses and seminars, for professionals and the learning disabled alike, at Cambridge, the University of East London, Anglia Polytechnic University and prestigious overseas establishments. Barbara is also a Freeman of the City of London.

In 2000 Barbara Dyer was awarded an Honorary Master of Arts.

Areas Of Interest:
Faculty: Health, Social Care & Education
Citation:

"The mission of Anglia Polytechnic University has always incorporated the ideals of service: to the community; to the advancement of the cause of the underprivileged in society and to the scrutiny of social abuses where found. It is on this that the award to Barbara Dyer is based.

Her professional career began relatively late, following her husband's death in early middle age and the need to support her six children. She obtained a diploma in Social Studies two years into her widowhood and she became Children's Welfare Officer in the County Borough of East Ham, London 1951-1957. After a year's teacher training course she became a teacher of Primary, Secondary and maladjusted children in Ilford 1959-64 and eventually in 1970 became Deputy and Acting Head of Leyton Senior High School for Girls at a time when successive waves of immigration were creating significant tensions in education.

However, before the appointment at Leyton there had been a year's sabbatical of full-time study at London University into the psychoanalytical basis for the education of maladjusted children, following which she became the first Education Officer at HM Women's Security Prison at Bulwood Hall, Essex. This experience produced Barbara's first book, sold to a film production company for the film Scrubbers - unique in its exposé of life in a women's prison.

These appointments were important influences in the major crusades of her life: underprivilege; the institutional treatment of those with learning difficulties and the issue of women in prison.

Whilst in the prison service she became concerned by the contagion of the prison life; its capacity to act as a training school for persistent offenders and its capacity to add to humanity's stock of maladjustment and disaffection. She subsequently became an influential member of the Howard League for Penal Reform and of Baroness Sears' House of Lords Committee on Women in the Penal System.

Her other great crusade has been to ameliorate the condition of mentally handicapped people in care (strongly influenced by her own youngest child's profound handicap and negative treatment she received as a parent). As Chair of the Friends, Residents and Relatives of one such establishment she was instrumental in achieving a defining landmark judgement by the Ombudsman, which not only led to the removal of the management, but greater visibility for this issue, to everyone's benefit, and membership of the National Development Team, which acts as an inspectorate in the field of Mental Handicap.

As a member of the Anglia University Steering Group, which promoted a University Experience for People with a Learning Disability, she contributed to the publication of the book describing this unique course.

Her concerns may be summed up as: ensuring public awareness of institutional corruption, where it exists in relation to handicapped and vulnerable people; promoting parental rights in the face of bureaucratic obduracy; and, just recently, prompting specialised training for practitioners caring for people with a learning disability living in the community.

The outcomes of Barbara Dyer's crusades take several forms. One is the moulding of public opinion through public speaking, accessible writings, contributions to professional journals and films and broadcasts. A second is her sustained involvement in voluntary and direct action through charities and public organisations. A third is to contribute her experience and expertise to universities in highly innovative courses and seminars, for professionals and the learning disabled alike, at Cambridge, the University of East London, Anglia Polytechnic University and prestigious overseas establishments.

It is therefore with pleasure, Vice Chancellor, that I invite you to confer on Barbara Dyer the award of Honorary Master of Arts for her service to the underprivileged of society."

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The 2013 Graduation Ceremony dates can be found here

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