Dr Sally Arrey hailed as pioneer in learning disability nursing
Dr Sally Arrey says that ‘the sky is the limit’ for students of all backgrounds after she was recognised for becoming the first black woman in the UK to achieve a PhD in the study of Learning Disabilities.
Dr Arrey is senior lecturer MSc course experience leader across all four fields of nursing, and she has specialised in learning disability for most of her career.
As well as teaching at the university, Dr Arrey achieved her PhD at Huddersfield having previously worked in and around the town for St Anne’s Community Services, where she also co-authored a guide for end-of-life care for people with learning disabilities.
“Huddersfield really is like home for me, the area and the university,” says Dr Arrey, “which makes it even more special for me to be recognised for being the first black woman to achieve a PhD in Learning Disabilities.
Discover more about studying Learning Disabilities nursing at University of Huddersfield
“I learned so much from working for St Anne’s and in my first stint at the university as an affiliate lecturer, taking what I learned into my PhD so to be recognised by the UK Royal College of Nursing (RCN) means a lot to me. Additionally, I have had virtual meetings with relevant persons from the RCN and a meeting has been scheduled for January 2026 for further discussions.”
Dr Arrey works across the four fields of nursing at the university – adult, mental health and child nursing as well as learning disabilities – but it is the recognition for her many years of work to improve the lives of people with learning disabilities that she is most proud of.
"I want our students to see that they can aspire to something that can come out of the courses they are studying so hard on. This is especially the case in fields like learning disabilities, because nationwide we have been struggling to recruit nurses for this area.
"It also draws attention to the fact that the university attracts high-calibre individuals and gives students opportunities to see that they can project to wherever they want to be. The sky is the limit for them.
"I just feel humble that I'm going to use this as a platform, to encourage students to do their best and to encourage students to come in to this profession because we really need more nurses in this area. People with learning disabilities or autism, which I also work around, is everybody's business we require professionals to be able to look after them.
“This also draws attention to the fact that gender equality progress has witnessed significant growth in higher education. Although not necessarily so for black women, some UK universities have pioneered and delivered programmes via the Women’s Higher Education Network (WHEN) focusing on pushing for equity of opportunity for women, especially for black women academics and researchers with the 100 Black Women Professors now.”
The University of Huddersfield has been a member of the Athena SWAN Charter since 1st October 2015 and in 2020 renewed its Bronze Award for gender equality, and the university has continued to champion training courses to promote equality and diversity such as ''Women Advancing Together'.