As the voices of the future, the more young disabled people who get into politics, the louder our voices are heard. Scottish Youth Parliament’s Gianni Mastrangioli speaks to Eilidh Morrison MSYP, who’s already making a difference
Eilidh Morrison’s early years taught her that society can turn a blind eye to realities it doesn’t understand. However, if you’d told her that her experiences as a young person with a sight impairment would one day help bring the unseen barriers of everyday life into public view, she wouldn’t have believed you.
Fast forward to today, and Eilidh will soon complete her PGDE (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education), while working tirelessly to raise awareness of issues impacting people with struggles like her own. “A few years ago, I would sit in the corner and not make eye contact with anyone. Now I am probably the loudest person in the room – it’s hard to shut me up sometimes!” she says, laughing.
SYP AS A PLATFORM
Eilidh joined the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) nearly six years ago, when she was elected as an MSYP to represent the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and Haggeye, RNIB Scotland’s youth forum.
“At my second SYP Sitting, I had to stand up in front of everyone and explain, using a microphone, how my guide dog worked. That’s where my confidence really sparkled,” she says.
During her time at SYP, she and her peers have secured significant victories, such as the incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law in 2024. Eilidh was also involved in an education reform project last year, speaking directly to the Scottish Government about how to make schooling more accessible for young people with sight loss.
She adds: “I was let down when I was in school because there wasn’t that support there. Now young people can speak up and say, ‘Hey, this isn’t meeting Article 28. Do something about it!’.”
CLOSE TO HOME
As an MSYP, Eilidh’s passion for advocacy has blossomed. In 2020, she passed a motion challenging the ongoing barriers guide dog users faced when travelling abroad following Brexit. “I told my local MSP about it, and she got it into Westminster. Now you can take your guide dog on the plane between the UK and Northern Ireland. Before that, you couldn’t take it with you at all.”
Most recently, she launched Scan for Truth, calling for NaviLens – an app which translates a scannable code into useful audio – to be applied to every food package, so that blind and visually impaired people can hear ingredient lists. The campaign has featured on BBC Radio 4 and reached the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
“What’s next for you?” I ask, knowing her time as an MSYP is coming to an end. “The skills I’ve learned at SYP, like public speaking and time management, are things that make a good teacher…” Eilidh smiles, signalling that her work is far from over.