Actor refuses to let disability be a barrier
DONCASTER actor Kevin Davies told experts how he beat disability to become a star of stage and sport.
Kevin – who goes by the stage name of Kevin Davids on the television – achieved double success as a sportsman and actor.
He told his story to guests at the launch of a NHS scheme at the Salvation Army Lakeside Community Church in Booth Avenue, Lakeside.
Kevin, aged 47, of Skellow, has been paralysed in his lower body since birth due to spina bifida and uses a wheelchair.
But he has refused to allow his disability to hold him back.
And after collecting world class medals in fencing, he is now enjoying success as a TV actor, having performed alongside Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones.
Kevin said attitudes towards disabled people and opportunities open to them have been transformed during his lifetime and he is keen to encourage such changes further.
His early childhood was spent at boarding school and his parents had to fight to be allowed to bring him home at weekends.
Kevin said: "It was like I was being hidden away from the world and I couldn't understand why I'd been taken away from my family.
"Later I went to mainstream comprehensive school which was positive in some ways but uncomfortable in others.
"I was lucky enough to have parents who encouraged me to be as independent as possible, my dad insisted on it, however school failed to ready me for the outside world. It wasn't until I left that I began to live life to the full really."
When Kevin went on to study A-levels at Doncaster College the possibilities of what he could achieve began to fully open up.
While tagging along at a friend's fencing class, he came to the attention of a coach and later learned to compete with a sabre. His training was supported by fundraising miners in his home village of Bentley.
Kevin's talent led to him representing Great Britain for 20 years and he was world champion for four. He also won two gold medals at the Paralympics in Seoul and Barcelona in 1988 and 1992 and a bronze at the 1996 games in Atlanta.
He decided to develop his interest in performing arts after retiring from fencing and did a master's degree at Doncaster College before appearing in several Doncaster Little Theatre productions.
In 2006, he was cast in BBC Three sitcom I'm with Stupid as Syd, playing alongside Paul Henshall, Mark Benton and Gavin and Stacey star Ruth Jones.
READ MORE ON NEXT PAGE
READ MORE
Main news index
Your letters
Features
South Yorkshire's environmental news
Kids Zone
More business news
More Rotherham news
More Doncaster news
More Barnsley news
Latest sport. Half of the cast for the critically-acclaimed show were registered disabled.
Further television appearances have followed for Kevin in ITV cop dramas The Bill and Blue Murder, which stars Caroline Quentin.
He said: “I really enjoy life and have always prided myself on not letting anything stop me from doing what I want to do.
“There have been huge improvements in services for disabled people as well as the way we’re treated in society but there is still more to do around accessing facilities as well as information.”
Kevin was speaking at the launch of Beyond Barriers, an NHS scheme which sets out how experts will direct future planning, provision and monitoring of health and social care services for disabled adults.
New services about to be launched include a development worker working with profoundly deaf people and a debt adviser for people with a disability or long-term condition. Kevin said he welcomed the plan.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sheffield
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
