An East Kilbride teenager who is partially sighted will take part in a global online meeting today to launch a new United Nations manifesto for children and adolescents with disabilities.
School pupil Kerry Burke, who has albinism and suffers from nystagmus and photophobia, both conditions which affect her vision, is a member of the youth forum run by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIBP) Scotland.
Today, the 17-year-old has been invited to share her experience with disability in a short video.
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The video will be shown at a session organised by Professor Maria Soledad Cisternas Reyes, UN special envoy on disability and access.
Kerry said: “Children and Young People with disabilities have additional barriers that they’ll have to contend with throughout their lives.
"This manifesto will help aid our fight against these barriers.
"I'd like school teachers to have a better understanding of disability, including sight loss, as part of their initial training and ongoing professional development.”
She added: "Extra-curricular activities for instance, like sports and arts, can be an important part of school-life but these aren't always accessible, due to a lack of awareness of how to involve those with a visual impairment.
“The manifesto might place more emphasis on the need to ensure these activities are inclusive."
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The document calls for recognition of the right for disable pupils to access the same educational opportunities as their peers without disabilities.
It also urges for more awareness of the needs of those with physical or sensory impairments.
COSLA president, councillor Alison Evison, will represent the organisation at the launch of the Declaration of Children and Youth with Disabilities in the World.
She said: “I am delighted to be sharing that platform with Kerry Burke, representing RNIB Scotland, and providing her perspective as a young person in Scotland.
“The voices of children and young people are vital in important discussions such as these, and I look forward to today’s event.”
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Kerry, who was last month elected as a Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament, is an active participant in RNIB Scotland's Haggeye youth forum, set up to give a campaigning voice to young people who are blind or partially sighted.
Today's event will also celebrate 15 years since the adoption of the UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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