Leaving the labels behind

Studying for a degree is hard work in any circumstances. If society is putting extra barriers in the way, it can be tough to get started.

 

David Godson lost his left arm in an industrial accident when he was just 16, but he refused to let other people’s expectations stop him doing what he wanted. After a successful first career in the automotive industry, David was ready for a big challenge. An Open University degree helped him overcome other people’s ideas of what he could and couldn’t do.  

 

David’s degree opened up a career path for him in the Probation Service. His newfoundself-belief led to a series of senior positions in the Probation Service, with David authoring several articles on probation strategy and even setting up his own business providing services to the Home Office and other criminal justice agencies.

Now David is keen to support people whose confidence may have been blunted by other people’s attitudes to their disability. The David Godson Disability Award will encourage people who find society’s labels are creating an unnecessary barrier.

 

“Studying for an Open University degree transformed my life and I took on challenges I was previously led to believe were beyond me,” says David. “The term ‘disability’ can have an unintentional impact on people with physical disabilities and can adversely affect their self-esteem. If the David Godson Disability Award can make a small contribution toward others setting out on a voyage of discovery and believing in themselves, its aims will have been achieved.”

 

The award offers financial support to qualifying new, disabled students studying a level one 30 or 60 credit module (excluding Openings) towards their first degree. Qualifying disabilities are the loss, or permanent paralysis, of one or more limbs, and/or severe permanent mobility impairment.