Dr. Karen Gaffney: First living person with Down syndrome to receive honorary doctorate

Karen Gaffney became the first living person with Down syndrome to ever receive an honorary doctorate from a college or university when she received one from the University of Portland on May 5, 2013.
Karen is president of the Karen Gaffney Foundation and famous for her distance swimming exploits and public speaking.
The University is incredibly proud to honor Karen and her incredible advocacy work that has inspired countless people worldwide and especially in our Portland community.
To learn more about Karen, please visit www.karengaffneyfoundation.com/

[@bethlesher2775]

What a wonderful and inspirational story! My daughter is 5 weeks old and has down syndrome. This story gives me hope and strength that my daughter will get to lead a "normal" life.

[@crystalnutgrass200]

+NovaExplosion Have you lost your mind. I hope you never plain on having a child. I can't imagine how you would be able to be a loving parent. Being a parent is putting another life before your own.

[@j.b.2263]

A bit late but look up about Pablo Pineda. First DS with a real university degree. Times are changing, in the past they where hidden from sight, niw they can show there full potential.

[@liliadiaz2076]

Raise her right and she will live the normal life. Never give up on her.

[@wisdomhigher1984]

man listen to her speaking in public she is much cleverer than many normal people. and has a great sense of humor. I was in tears while listening to her speaking.

[@fcscreen]

you have given strength to parents like myself to see our children fulfilling dreams of beyond our imagination. Thank you

[@paddyearly]

It shocks me the spiteful comments on this award! She is a great role model for any human being but especially those with Down Syndrome. All of us have limitations but it's clear a lot of people have zero compassion or understanding. God bless our world.

[@crystalnutgrass200]

You are right. It shocks me to read these comments. What has this world come too.

[@jameswilson6340]

Do not be shocked but be calmed for the torrents created by the jealous and the meek-minded are only washed up as a stones throw of effort put into true perception.

[@johnnyhigh4676]

As a parent who when expecting his first child biggest fear was a child with mental disability, God gave me the a mentally perfect physically disabled son. After raising him for 17 years and being around physically and disabled children all my life, I'm proud to say I've grown to understand what a glorious triumph Karen's story is. None of us is perfect, but we are all God's children.

[@user-bo8nb2mi]

DS bring out the best in people and are loving.

[@fernandomoreno402]

GReat job. My daughter has DS also. Its a big encouragement to know she could be like u and have such a high honor of accomplishment. I strive someday to see her accomplishment anything she puts her mind to.she's very determined.

[@bestbuddies]

She's an great person, and an amazing friend! Congrats, Karen!!

[@cbvmace5073]

Thank you. My daughter has DS. You are amazing. She will grow up to be like you!

[@chrisjdd]

Well done, University of Portland and Congratulations to Dr. Gaffney!

[@rajinira]

This is so inspiring!

[@farrahfoxx28]

Great job this is amazing !!

[@Hoagie58]

I've got a new hero. Congratulations, Dr. Gaffney, you are truly an inspiration!! God Bless!

[@colettenasielski5488]

Thank You For Sharing

[@NoahsDadDotCom]

This is awesome. Thanks for sharing!

[@evanstiff1057]

Shut up, Noah shouldn't be here. He needs to be gone from the face of this earth.

[@evanstiff1057]

What? They don't deserve to live! If I can go, they can go.

[@tookalook2day]

@@evanstiff1057, Karen Gaffney's existence makes the world a better place. It's reasonable to assume Noah's existence also makes the world a better place. Another reasonable assumption, by evidence of your comment, is that you *choose* to do what you can to make the world a worse place. You might be quite surprised what happens if you make a different choice.

[@bigsting69]

Inspirational!

[@blest2bless]

Keep on breaking barriers, Dr. Gaffney!

[@mugglesarecooltoo]

Good for her. You go girl!

[@BrooklineBass]

What an amazing role model!

[@lovealways7861]

This gives me hope that I can be a doctor too even though I don’t have a Down syndrome

[@Artofwarthebookof5rings]

Just have money and connections and youll get it easy

[@colettenasielski5488]

Congratulations Karen

[@AMHAPPY]

AM HAPPY

[@briguy6404]

Awesome

[@deepskyfrontier]

Hallelujah!

[@thomasgrinley3612]

Congratulations, Dr. Gaffney!

[@TheSiimh]

That is honorary. Not a real PhD degree.

[@user-bo8nb2mi]

@@TheSiimh Piled high. & Deep?

[@shellyortiz1977]

So happy with people shouldn't be judge or discrimate cause there born different

[@sherryl5356]

You are an inspection for everybody

[@walterbishop3668]

I'd fail 100 times in life if I was in her situation but she did it.

[@kelseadawn7494]

Part of success is failure. If you haven't failed at least once you haven't tried hard enough.

[@user-bo8nb2mi]

Indeed she did

[@rastosedlacek]

Super

[@deepnair4795]

We might be disabled, but we have help from the Almighty HalleluJah

[@ChristopherChapelle]

This news is extremely inspiring. This comments section is not

[@liannapfister8255]

But it’s just honorary right?

[@clevergirlab3758]

That's all well and good but why didn't they let her speak? Or was this another token move?

[@DaWoWzer]

I googled world's smartest down syndrome and this came up. Do honorary degrees even count?

[@mosalahisaking3525]

Same, me too, and Dr. Gaffney showed up in the first place.

[@kdngames8922]

hillary clinton got a doctorate?

[@joanneduncan7051]

Kind of makes you reevaluate what Down's Syndrome means to you!!!

[@MichaelHickey2003]

>smartest person with downs is the same as a normal person

[@abshhbng1317]

Idk I saw this thing about a DS guy in Europe that graduated from college there and wrote two books and from looking at his dialogue he obviously had high understanding. He seemed above average

[@TacoEqualsFtw]

>honorary

[@magnificent6668]

Yes, they fail to note the honorary bit. And many of us would like to ride ponies and get honorary degrees with retards, but alas, we have to work!

[@ChristopherChapelle]

Okay, Mr. totally-not-a-nazi