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Coventry University.
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Simon Stevens
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In 2008, Stevens was presented with the Revolutionary Award, a category of the United Kingdom Catalyst Awards presented “Foreign something that makes people in power more aware of the need for change.” The award was presented to Stevens by then United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his founding of Wheelies, a disability-themed nightclub in the online virtual world Second Life. Stevens also featured in the disability-themed 2012 Channel 4 hidden camera prank show I"m Spazticus. In August 2015, Stevens was rated 43rd in "The Midlands Twitter-users with the biggest United Kingdom influence" by Birmingham Mail.
In addition, in April 2013, he was rated 60th on the Disability News Service influence list, which according to the Domain Name System website "highlight some of the many disabled people who make a difference in modern Britain." However, within the disability community itself, Stevens is something of an outsider whose views do not reflect those of the majority.
Indeed, to many he is nothing but a troublesome irrelevance. Furthermore, in Twitter debates, Simon adopts an argumentative style where he pretends he is drunk and fires illogical misspelled red-herrings at his opponents.
Stevens is affected by Cerebral Palsy, which, according to Stevens" site "affects my speech, mobility, hand control, balance and continence to a significant degree and provided me with a very good sense of humour." Additionally, Stevens has been diagnosed as having mild bipolar and in 2009, Stevens had a nerve virus which resulted in long term Acute Neuropathy. In 2006, Stevens became the first user of Second Life to use a wheelchair as part of his avatar character.
He later founded the virtual club Wheelies the world"s first disability-themed virtual nightclub in Second Life, and "a friendly and inclusive place for disabled and non-disabled people from around the world to meet.".
