“I can be a voice for young people with disabilities that might not have the confidence to speak out”
Katie is a 21-year-old student hopeful to study travel and tourism in the near future, part-time worker, advocate for accessibility and self-confessed Gilmore Girls obsessive. She lives with her mum, Violet, sister Lauren and wee dog Molly, in Newtownabbey, just outside Belfast.
Having joined our Youth Voice Team (YVT) just over year ago now, we caught up with Katie to find out a bit more about her.
What encouraged you to join the YVT?
“I’ve been part of National Lottery funded Mae Murray Foundation since 2016, who’s aim is to make an inclusive zone to help young people and adults enjoy activities without worrying about their disability. The founder’s daughter asked me did I want to go surfing one day, of course I said yes and have never left since!
“The Mae Murray Foundation means so much to me as they’ve created opportunities that I may not have experienced as a wheelchair user.
“Disabled people face many barriers such as lack of accessibility, lack of dignified toileting, lack of support, high cost of equipment and lack of adapted activities. These barriers mean disabled people are not able to take part in leisure activities, leading to social isolation, lack of friendships and poor physical and mental wellbeing.
“As a wheelchair user, I’m passionate about this as I have personal, lived experience of all these barriers. I feel I can be a voice for young people with disabilities that might not have the confidence to speak out.
“I see the YVT as a catalyst for change, where I can create awareness of the need for our communities and organisations to consider accessibility for disabled people. I knew it would be an AMAZING opportunity and I was so excited to be part of the team.”
How has being a part of these opportunities impacted you?
“The positivity that being part of the YVT brings into my life is beyond words. I have become more positive in general; my confidence has grown loads and I feel I have made friends for life.
“I’m also the Disability Manager of Newtownabbey Arts and Cultural Network (NACN), an organisation that, with the help of National Lottery funding, empowers young people to take part in creative activities. This role means a lot to me as this group has given me so many opportunities, from courses to enrol on, to performances to take part in - it’s just been amazing.”
Where do you get the inspiration to do all of this?
“My mum has made a huge difference in my life and been a great inspiration. She has had scoliosis all her life, which came with immense challenges as accessibility was minimal when she was young. More recently, we lost my dad during the pandemic due to cancer. This was really hard for us all, but especially her. She has overcome so many challenges and obstacles and still puts everyone before herself. She’s a great role model and an extremely strong woman.
“Although accessibility has improved since my mum was growing up, there’s still a long way to go. There have been a lot of challenges that I had to face, and still have to. These have been made easier with the unrivalled support of my friends. But still, I’ve found myself unable to attend concerts with these friends, events or enter a building because the accessibility needs were not met, which I don’t think is fair or right. This gives me the drive to call these places out and fight for better.
What are your aspirations?
“I want to be a spokesperson for people with disabilities and be this community’s voice. I hope to put my training and my lived experience to good use and become an Accessibility Manager in an organisation one day. Being part of the Youth Voice Team is providing me with the necessary experience to achieve this. I get to feed into discussions on what people with disabilities experience day to day and spread awareness of the needs in their community.
Gaining the experience to go out and talk to different organisations about their project and what their funding needs are, has given me so much more confidence in life!”