story 17 February 2020

Sarah won’t let cerebral palsy hold her back from doing her DofE

Sarah Fisher sitting at a piano smiling

Sarah decided to complete her Gold DofE programme as she wanted to prove to herself that she could achieve her Gold DofE Award and not let her cerebral palsy hold her back.

Having completed a degree in Community Music, she focused her DofE programme in this area: volunteering with a choir for people with disabilities, developing her piano skills and presenting her music and disability dissertation at an international conference. Sarah also enhanced her fitness to complete the Expedition section and entered 5K charity races, adapting her training to suit her body.

“The DofE inspired me as it allowed me to meet people from all walks of life, I would never have climbed any mountains without doing my DofE or met the amazing people I now call my friends.”

“I’ve achieved things people doubted I would be able to. I’ve pushed myself to speak up and share my story despite having a speech impediment and anxiety over my disability.”

Sarah believes the DofE helped her career by developing her skills, as she recently toured with her own show, ‘Twitch’ (music, disability and humour), and is in the process of getting her music recorded whilst studying for a Masters in Community Music, to enable her to work with young people and help them to engage with music.

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