![]() ![]() He obtained funds to provide free cochlear implants through the National Health Service. He worked to secure compensation for children injured by compulsory vaccination and for the residents of houses damaged by mining. He campaigned successfully for better compensation for the childhood victims of thalidomide, a network of refuges for battered wives, and revisions of the antiquated law on rape. ![]() He initiated and chaired the AllParty Disablement Group, which focused parliamentary attention on disability. Upon his reelection in 1970, Ashley became "the first totally deaf person to be elected to any legislature." Ministerial prospects set aside, he devoted himself increasingly to the concerns of people with disabilities, poor people, and women. Yet "a former MP who for years had made no effort to speak to me clearly, or indeed at all," spoke with striking clarity when she sought his help. He could walk with two friends and be excluded from their conversation. Most people, he observes, "are infinitely more conscious of their own difficulties than those of others." Colleagues who formerly would stop and chat might now pass by. ![]() "I lost none of my friends when I became deaf, but it was not until I was deaf that I knew who my friends were," Ashley says. Members of Parliament knew how to strike that balance, or learned others failed or did not try. In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content: ![]()
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