Yahoo News 'Believe in yourself': Actor and dancer is first person with Down's Syndrome to get honorary university degree
Actor and dancer Sarah Gordy has become the first person with Down’s Syndrome to be awarded an honorary degree from a UK university.
The model and Mencap campaigner was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Nottingham during its Winter Graduation.
As she joined the university’s latest graduates, she told the congregation: “Don’t listen to labels. Believe in yourself.”
Gordy has taken on high-profile roles in theatre, film and TV, including Call the Midwife and Upstairs Downstairs.
Just last month, she made history as the first woman with Down’s syndrome to be awarded an MBE, recognising her contributions to the arts and people with disabilities. She also became Mencap’s first official ambassador with a learning disability in 2013.
During her speech at the University of Nottingham, she told fellow graduates: “Mine is an unexpected journey. When I was young, people were worried that maybe I wouldn’t be able to walk. Maybe I wouldn’t be able to talk. Many people, often nice people, thought I would have a very limited life.
“Now, I don’t just speak, I act. I learn scripts by talented writers. I have been on TV, stage & radio. I don’t just speak, I campaign. I’m an ambassador for Mencap and spoke at the UN on World Down’s Syndrome day. And I don’t just walk, I dance. And have toured Europe dancing.
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“If I’d believed all the things that people said I couldn’t do, I wouldn’t have done any of that. And I wouldn’t be standing here now, on this stage, looking out at all of you wonderful graduates. I wouldn’t get to see all of your faces and say ‘Congratulations’. We made it.
“There may be times in your life when people doubt you. There may be times when you doubt yourself. But don’t listen to doubt. Don’t listen to labels. Believe in yourself. No one knows your potential. No one knows the future. It is ours to make, it is ours to show what we can do.”
Helen Laverty, Professional Lead on Learning Disability Nursing in the University of Nottingham’s School of Health Sciences, said: “Today is a very proud day for The University of Nottingham and I want to personally congratulate Sarah on her extremely well-deserved honour.
“To hear Sarah speaking today about the barriers she has overcome in her life on the road to a successful career on the stage and screen was moving, emotional and inspiring in equal measure.
“For those graduates who are at the beginning of their own journey, Sarah is the embodiment of what can be achieved if you believe in yourself, follow your dreams and have the courage and determination to prove others wrong when they tell you that something cannot be done.”
