A disabled journalist has become the first to pass an industry qualification thanks to a new initiative.

Victoria Scholes has been unveiled as the first student from Ability Today’s Academy for Disabled Journalists to pass the National Council for the Training of Journalists Certificate in Foundation Journalism.

The programme, aimed at aspiring journalists with disabilities was launched by the NCTJ with Ability Today, a social enterprise and online platform which provides news and resources to help support people with disabilities, in June.

Victoria passed all of her assessments first time and has now achieved the level three NCTJ qualification.

She said: “I am really happy to have passed, it feels like a great achievement and to know I did it first time means that it can be done.

“I might be disabled, and my body may let me down but that does not mean my brain does not work. It takes a lot more than that of an average person to get where I am, and lots of hard work and I need a lot of assistance, but it shows that just because you are disabled you can still achieve things.

“Ability today have been so supportive of my needs and studying in a group of people who understood me helped me to succeed. If you too are interested in journalism and have a disability, contact Ability Today, they will give you the tools and support to achieve your goals.”

Victoria was among an initial cohort of 13 to enrol on the course.

Nikki Akinola, diversity and inclusion co-ordinator at the NCTJ, said: “It is fantastic to see this initiative bearing fruit. Working with Ability Today has been both a valuable and important experience.

“Seeing the students make advances in their journalistic knowledge is what this scheme is all about.

“We look forward to seeing more students complete their qualification in the months ahead, and we can’t wait to see what the future has in store for Victoria.”