A Biography of Barry Ginley
Born in Birmingham, Barry was brought up in Tamworth Staffordshire before moving away to attend Lickey Grange School for the Blind in Bromsgrove at the age of twelve. After studying at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, Barry took up his first job at the BBC after moving to London in 1988.
In 1992, Barry’s post at the BBC was made redundant, so he went back to college to study a City & Guilds in Leisure and Recreation. On completion of the course, Barry underwent an eye operation which left him completely blind.
Determined to re-build his life, Barry gained an MSc from the University of Reading in 2005, which he considers to be one of his biggest achievements, a qualification which supports his current role as Head of Disability and Social Inclusion at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Barry lives in Allington with his wife Jo and daughter Emma. In his spare time, Barry enjoys watching sport and is a big fan of Liverpool Football Club, where he tries to visit a couple of times per season. He also enjoys keeping fit, listening to audio books as well as spending time with his family.
Since moving to Maidstone in 2002, Barry has been involved as a member of the Maidstone Borough Council’s Disability Focus Group on a voluntary basis. With the contribution given to the group, Barry was employed as an Access Consultant on stage 1 and 2 of the design competition for the Maidstone High Street re-development.
Barry Ginley
Conservative Party – Allington Ward