“Glee” actress Lauren Potter to present public talk

Lauren Potter, the 24-year-old actress with Down syndrome best known for playing the role of cheerleader Becky Jackson on the hit TV show “Glee,” will talk about all she has overcome to pursue her dreams and her ongoing commitment to make a difference in the world when she gives a public lecture at Salve Regina this week.

Potter, a staunch advocate for disability rights who serves as a member of President Obama’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, will give her talk, followed by a Q-and-A, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 18 in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall.

Potter has traveled around the country to speak out against bullying that the intellectually disabled community confronts on a daily basis. She serves on the Board of Best Buddies International, has participated in the Abilitypath.org campaign against bullying, partnered with the Special Olympics in their “End the Word” campaign, and is currently lending her name and fame to numerous organizations, including the Down Syndrome Association and the American Association of People with Disabilities.

Potter made her acting debut in the 2007 movie “Mr. Blue Sky,” playing the part of young Andra Little. She has also appeared on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” In 2012, she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award in the “Ensemble in a Comedy Series” category for her work on “Glee.” She was also honored with the SAG/AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 2012 Media Access Awards.

“As a girl who has accomplished things that many didn’t think were possible, I know that people can be wrong when they judge someone else just because they are different,” she told the Huffington Post in an interview published last June. “We are all different. And that isn’t bad, it’s just, well, different.”

She went on to say: “Because of ‘Glee’ I have been given a chance to pursue another dream of mine – to make the world a more welcoming place for people who are different – especially for people like me who have always been told ‘you can’t’ instead of ‘you can.’ I want to live in a world where everyone can live, go to school and go to work without having to be afraid. Afraid of being judged, afraid of being bullied or cyber-bullied. Afraid of new things. Afraid of failure. Afraid of dreaming.”