Honorary
Doctorates |
Baroness Chapman
View more images of Baroness Chapman at Graduation
Baroness Chapman received an Honorary Doctorate of Business Administration
from Leeds Met during Winter Graduation 2005.
Nicky Chapman became the first person with a congenital disability to be appointed to the House of Lords as a People's Peer when she took up her seat in 2004.
On receiving an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration, Baroness Chapman, said: "I'm proud to be a Leeds girl and delighted to receive this award this evening. I learnt very early on that 'no' is not my favourite word, when I was told I could not go to college or get a job I challenge constantly. 'Yes' is my favourite word."
She concluded by thanking her family and that the award was a
tribute to them as well as those who have been brave enough to
see past her disability.
Born in Leeds in 1961, she was one of the first people with brittle bones to survive birth. Doctors said that she would be blind, deaf, and unable to communicate and would have no noticeable mental function. They recommended that her parents put her in a home or give her up for adoption. Her parents refused to take their advice and insisted that even if she was blind and deaf there were still ways she could enjoy life. When she was a few months old the doctors said there was nothing more they could do for her and she was sent home to die and in her words she is still waiting.
No school would accept her and so her parents taught her to read. At five the local authority provided a tutor for two hours a week. When she was eight, she won a place at John Jamieson School for the physically disabled. Park Lane College of Further Education in Leeds followed and a degree in mathematics and management at Trinity and All Saints College. After graduating, she had difficulty in obtaining permanent employment, but eventually taught computing to young offenders on a voluntary basis. She left after seven months to take up full time employment with the local council, ultimately as a tutor in an adult education centre. She was forced to give up full time employment twelve years ago due to a severe leg fracture and from there began acting as an advocate for disadvantaged people. She became involved in disability rights, focusing particularly on independent living issues and the right to access work and leisure facilities, including sports stadiums.
She is Chair of the management committee of Leeds Centre for Integrated Living, which promotes freedom of choice to disabled people by other disabled people. A passionate Leeds United fan, she also chairs the Leeds United Disabled Organisation (LUDOS) which campaigns for disabled access for disabled fans.
