Northern Ireland Powerchair player and Irish FA Disability Access Officer, Jason Browning, has been awarded the Jacqueline Magee Memorial Award for 2023.
The Award is a ‘celebration of the positive contributions service users have made to improve delivery of the Northern Ireland Wheelchair Service’.
Browning’s contribution centred around his work at the Regional Disablement Services in Musgrave Park, which is part of the Belfast Trust.
"I had a bad experience a few years ago where I was proscribed a bad chair." said Browning recently back from the Powerchair World Championships in Australia. "I contacted my local MLA Andy Allen in an attempt to deal with that. Things progressed from there and I was brought on board to consult on assessment and provision reform."
Irish FA President, Conrad Kirkwood, said: "I knew the late Jacqueline Magee personally through her work in the health sector. She was a huge advocate for people with disabilities and respected by everyone whom she dealt with.
"As Irish FA President, I am so proud that our own passionate advocate, Jason, has been recognised with this award as I consider him to be as vital in the football world as she was in the health sector."
Browning says he hopes the work he helped to oversee means that others can be the beneficiaries of it in the future.
"A huge amount of work has gone into this and the reforms now in place are much more 'person centric' which is crucial for any wheelchair user. In summary, it is an award I am incredibly proud of."
