Stourbridge MP Suzanne Webb has met young people with visual impairment as she backs Guide Dogs’ All Things Equal educational fairness campaign.

Suzanne attended a Westminster event last week held by the charity where children and their families talked about the challenges they face in schools.

Recent research conducted for Guide Dogs found that 69% of teachers lack confidence that they have the right skills to support disabled children, including those with a vision impairment, to reach their full potential. This is reflected in outcomes for children with sight loss, who are significantly behind their peers in terms of academic attainment.

The All Things Equal campaign is calling for greater recognition of vision impairment throughout the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system.

It is calling for the critical role of specialist professionals to be prioritised, and more support should be given at an earlier stage to help prevent young people with sight loss from falling behind. Suzanne said:

“It was really informative but also concerning to meet young people with visual impairment and hear their stories of how they are missing out on the education others take for granted.

“I do think we need to look closely and be more aware of how visual impairment affects the education of those who have it and do all we can to ensure the playing field is level for them.

“I fully support this campaign, particularly the need to see more support of children and their families at the earliest possible age.”