Disabled Staffordshire student walks across stage at graduation

A disabled student who walked across the stage at her graduation after secretly practising in order to surprise family has said the applause of the audience kept her going.

Bal Deol, 33, graduated with a PhD in Education from the University of Staffordshire on Monday, marking the end of a 15-year association with the institution.

Diagnosed with generalised dystonia, external aged eight, she has lived with painful muscle spasms, fatigue, and the progressive loss of her mobility and vision. She normally uses a wheelchair to get around.

She said that at the ceremony, she expected the applause to die down as she made her way across stage using a walking aid, but it did not, and it helped her to continue.

“I still can’t believe that I did that,” she said of the achievement.

Deol said the preparation for her stage walk began in February, and had been very hard to keep it a secret.

She added there had been a mix of emotions, and felt “proud, happy and sad to be leaving this amazing university”.