Joseph "Joey" John Deacon (24 May 1920- 3 December 1981) was a British author and television personality .

Joey suffered from cerebral palsy, and as a result was unable to use his arms or legs nor speak coherently. However, with the help of his friends Ernie Roberts, Tom Blackburn, and Michael Sangster he was able to write a book, "Tongue Tied", published by MENCAP as a part of their Subnormality in the Seventies series. The book gave a unique insight into the often-disregarded lives of mentally handicapped people of the time (as the title of the series shows), and with the money from the book Joey and his friends bought a home for themselves.

Joey was brought to the nation's attention in 1981, when he was featured on the children's magazine show Blue Peter. Most famously, the presenter Simon Groom took Joey for a trip on a boat on the River Thames, on which he accidentally lost his shoe by kicking it over the side.

Joey was presented by the programme as an example of a brave man who achieved much in spite of his disabilities, but this highlighted a gross misunderstanding of the nature of children by the producers, as Joey's name quickly became a label of ridicule in school playgrounds across the country. Even today, if a person trips over or happens to otherwise compromise themselves, they may still be mocked as a "Joey".

Several websites are dedicated to the memory of Joey Deacon, often in poor taste, and the second series of cult UK comedy series Spaced also contains one quick "Joey" reference.