His sacking is utterly without any real foundation.

That's a very dubious statement and a very one-sided petition. Are axes being ground? I wasn't aware of the man and I question the statement about him being "the public face" of the EFDSS, but people don't get sacked for no reason all. It could be something like not fitting in with co-workers, not being a good team player, which makes a position untenable. But really, that's just as wild speculation as anybody else is doing. Merely in the interest of damage limitation, shouldn't the EFDSS be putting out its own statement to clarify matters.

I too have been very impressed with what the EFDSS have been up to in recent years to shake off the DEAFASS image, through the efforts of remarkable new activists like Sam Lee and long-established ones like Malcolm Taylor. The magazine greatly improved its production values under Derek Schofield, but all this started earlier than the last 11 months so so at the very least this is over-hysterical..