AS an intelligent, smart and well spoken teenager with a healthy interest in fashion, makeup and music, Rebecca Nicholson is like any other 16-year-old.
However, throughout her life, she has been trying to prove this to other people.
"My brain works, it’s just my legs that don’t work," explains the bubbly teenager who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair.
"People think I’m stupid and it makes me sad.
"It breaks my heart when people just jump to their own conclusions."
For years, Miss Nicholson has been judged on her physical disability but now she is fighting back and championing young Highland people with disabilities.
"I wasn’t being listened to and there is not much provided out there for people with physical disabilities and I wanted to get our voice heard and speak up on behalf of young people in similar situations," she said.
The teenager was one of four young people who visited the Scottish parliament in August to take part in the Festival of Politics where participants speak on an issue they feel strongly about.
The Highland Children’s Forum, a charity which aims to provide a platform for young people with additional needs, organised the trip. The teenagers won the competition with a podcast in which they talked about the challenges faced by young people with disabilities.
To break down barriers, Miss Nicholson has set up a Facebook page called Missiebeeable, to try to bring able-bodied and disabled young people together.
"Missiebeeable keeps me going," she said. "I’m struggling with a lot of things so knowing that I might go some way to help other people is important to me."
Miss Nicholson has also organised an event for able-bodied and disabled people, aged from 15 to early twenties, on 25th November in the Spectrum Centre. She has received help from Gillian Newman who worked with her at the children’s forum.
"With the support of Gillian, I organised this because there is a complete lack of provision for young people with physical disabilities. She was supportive and she’s helped me with the invitations and lots have been sent out.
"It’s important to me because I don’t have the opportunity to make friends and I’m very lonely.
"My hope is to bring young people together and get to know one another and try to get a social life because it’s very difficult when you don’t get the support from higher-up people."
Daily life is a challenge for Miss Nicholson. Unlike other teenagers, who can leave the house whenever they like, a lot of organisation has to go into one trip out.
"I rely heavily on my mum to get my hair straightened, get my makeup on and other things," she said. "If I wanted to go to a conference, it takes so much organisation.
"There is one quite soon in Aviemore. I would like to go but I need a special van and two carers have to come and assist me and trying to organise that is difficult.
"I’m so passionate about these things but I have nobody to take me."
Miss Nicholson, who lives with her family in Cameron Avenue in Balloch, has changed schools three times because she felt she was not getting the right support.
But the children’s forum has been a big help to her during these tough times.
"It has been a struggle with schools as I was speaking to people and they were not listening," she said
"So I wanted to do something completely outwith the education system. When I was having these issues I think the forum gave me that opportunity to widen my concerns and maybe bring awareness of my situation and other people’s situations."
Miss Nicholson had set her sights on a place at Treloar College, a specialist facility in Southampton which provides education for disabled people.
However, in July this year, Highland Council refused to pay £112,000, the cost of one year at the college. The following year would have cost £108,000.
"I definitely think myself and my family are left to fend for ourselves," she said.
"I looked at Treloar College which would give me all the support I’m not getting up here.
"This college would have offered me a social life and education but unfortunately I’m not going to get that opportunity because Highland Council say they can meet my needs here."
A council spokeswoman said there was ongoing correspondence with the family regarding Miss Nicholson’s education.
She is not giving up and is determined to complete her Higher English, which she is studying at Inverness Royal Academy, and harbours ambitions to become an MP to give young people with disabilities a voice.
"I would like to go some way to get government policies changed and raise issues and you need someone with empathy and understanding, which I believe is key," she said. "It needs to come from the heart and I’m so passionate about these issues after the way people have treated me.
"I’m not saying I would change the world but I’m quite willing to challenge some of these issues to get a better result and that’s what I’m focusing on."
According to Miss Nicholson, a lack of understanding and awareness of physical disabilities is a major problem and the reason there is a lack of resources.
"I think if disabilities are widely known from a young school age and young people are educated about disabilities you might go some way to change people’s perceptions," she said.
Acknowledging she still has an uphill struggle to create change, this does not faze Miss Nicholson, who is ready to take on anything that life throws at her.
"I want people to see the real Rebecca, not the Rebecca in the chair. That is part of me, and it’s a big part of me, but that does not define who I am."
To attend the event, from 7pm to 9pm at the Spectrum Centre, contact her at www.facebook.com/missiebeeable
For information on Highland Children’s Forum go to www.highlandchildrensforum.org
