Euan MacDonald | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Euan James Stuart MacDonald 14 August 1974 Sheffield, UK |
| Alma mater | University of St Andrews Glenalmond College |
| Known for | Euan’s Guide Euan MacDonald Centre |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth O’Neill |
| Children | 2 |
Euan MacDonald MBE is a Scottish entrepreneur. He studied at the University of St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh. [1] MacDonald was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in October 2003. [2]
MacDonald was born in Sheffield in 1974. He moved to Edinburgh with his parents and siblings at a young age and went to school at George Watson’s College before moving to Glenalmond College in Perthshire. Following this he studied at St Andrews, where he met his wife, and Edinburgh University.
MacDonald established The Euan MacDonald Centre for Motor Neurone Disease Research in 2007 in partnership with the University of Edinburgh. [3] With the Informatics Department at the University of Edinburgh, MacDonald also helped establish The Voicebank Study which enables people who are at risk of losing their voice through illness to preserve it. [4] In 2009, he was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list in recognition of his contribution to services for people with motor neurone disease. [5]
In 2013, MacDonald co-founded the disabled access review website, Euan's Guide. [6]
In November 2014, MacDonald was named as one of the most influential disabled people in the UK. [7] MacDonald lives in Edinburgh with his wife and his two children. [8]
Euan’s Guide is the disabled access review website used by disabled people to review, share and discover accessible places to visit. The charity was founded in 2013 by Euan MacDonald, who is a powerchair user, and his sister Kiki. As Euan’s access requirements changed, both went in search of recommendations for accessible places to go, but a platform for this kind of information didn't exist. Built as a friendly and honest alternative to hours of web searching and phone calls before visiting somewhere new, Euan’s Guide now has thousands of disabled access reviews and listings for places all over the UK and beyond.
Motor neuron diseases or motor neurone diseases (MNDs) are a group of rare neurodegenerative disorders that selectively affect motor neurons, the cells which control voluntary muscles of the body. They include amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), progressive bulbar palsy (PBP), pseudobulbar palsy, progressive muscular atrophy (PMA), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and monomelic amyotrophy (MMA), as well as some rarer variants resembling ALS.
George Wilson "Doddie" Weir is a Scottish former rugby union player who played as a lock. He made 61 international appearances for the Scotland national team. He currently lives with his family on a farm which he bought in the Scottish Borders. The Doddie Weir Cup is named after him.
Glasgow International Comedy Festival is a comedy festival in Glasgow, Scotland. The comedy festival started in 2002 and is held annually in March in venues across the city. The festival is supported financially by Glasgow City Council and since 2018 has been sponsored by whisky manufacturer Whyte & Mackay. The festival is billed as the largest of its type in Europe and often has acts from all over the world perform during the festival.
Neale Francis Daniher is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was later the coach of the Melbourne Football Club between 1998 and 2007, and also held coaching positions with Essendon, Fremantle and West Coast. His brothers, Terry, Anthony and Chris, also played for Essendon. Daniher was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2014 and is now known as a prominent campaigner for medical research.
The Motor Neurone Disease Association focuses on improving access to care, research and campaigning for those people living with or affected by motor neurone disease (MND) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. MND is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or, in the United States, Lou Gehrig's disease.
Robert Geoffrey Burrow is an English former professional rugby league footballer, who spent 16 years playing for the Leeds Rhinos in the Super League, before retiring in 2017. An England and Great Britain representative, he spent his entire professional career with Leeds. At 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) tall and weighing less than 11 st, Burrow was known for many years as "the smallest player in Super League". Despite this, he was one of the most successful players in the competition's history, having won a total of 8 Super League championships, two Challenge Cups, been named to the Super League Dream Team on three occasions and won the Harry Sunderland Trophy twice.
Euan Michael Burton MBE is a Scottish judoka.
Louis John Frederick Ashdown-Hill MBE FSA, commonly known as John Ashdown-Hill, was an independent historian and author of books on late medieval English history with a focus on the House of York and Richard III of England. Ashdown-Hill died on 18 May 2018 of motor neurone disease.
The Euan MacDonald Centre is a research centre which is part of the University of Edinburgh. The centre was established in 2007 and seeks to improve the lives of patients with motor neurone disease (MND). The centre was part funded by a donation by Euan MacDonald, who was diagnosed with MND in 2003, and his father Donald MacDonald. In addition to conducting research, the centre also offers clinical treatments. Around 130 are diagnosed with MND each year in Scotland alone.
David MacLennan, was a Scottish actor, director, producer and writer.
Gordon Lewis Aikman BEM was a British political researcher and campaigner. He was Director of Research for the Better Together campaign during the Scottish Independence Referendum. During that campaign he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease. Aikman successfully lobbied the Scottish Government to double the number of MND nurses in Scotland, and to fund them via the NHS. He also raised more than £500,000 for medical research.
Disabled Access Day is a biennial event in the United Kingdom that celebrates accessibility. The first event was held on Saturday 17 January 2015 and over 200 organisations took part across the UK and further afield. The last Disabled Access Day took place on 16 March 2019. Disabled Access Day was cancelled in 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Euan's Guide is a disabled access charity best known for the disabled access review website where disabled people, their families, friends and carers can find and share reviews on the accessibility of venues around the UK and beyond. Euan’s Guide is based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom and is a registered charity in Scotland (SC045492).
Justin John Yerbury is an Australian molecular biologist who was spurred to follow a career in biological research when he discovered his family has the genetic form of motor neuron disease (MND). He holds the position of Professor in Neurodegenerative Disease at the University of Wollongong. He was diagnosed with MND himself in 2016 but continues to research.
Catherine Abbott is a professor of molecular genetics at the University of Edinburgh.
The Access Survey is an annual survey of disabled people in the United Kingdom carried out by the disabled access charity Euan’s Guide. First conducted in 2014, the Access Survey gathers information on disabled people’s experiences and attitudes toward accessibility in the United Kingdom. The results of the Access Survey have been used to shape accessibility policy in the tourism sector.
Alan Hayes Davidson (1960–2018) was a British architect. He founded the architectural visualisation studio Hayes Davidson and pioneered architectural visualisation between 1989 and 1995. He was briefly married to Elaine Scott Davidson in 2016 until his death in 2018.
The Doddie Weir Cup is a perpetual rugby union trophy established in 2018 and contested between Scotland and Wales. The cup is named for former Scotland international lock Doddie Weir who suffers with motor neurone disease, and was created to raise awareness of the illness.
Gilles J. Guillemin is a French-Australian neuroscientist at Macquarie University. He received the Ordre national du Mérite in 2019 in recognition of his work in medical research. He was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2021.
Sarah Ezekiel is an artist. She has ALS and uses technology to control a computer cursor and create her images.