Sky Burke has been making a difference in the lives of others since her elementary days at Merrimac. She has grown up in the eye of public and self-advocacy and continues to make strides today as a student at Sachem High School East.
Most notable for writing the book “I am just me: My life with dyslexia and dysgraphia”, a one-of-a-kind story of a little girl with dyslexia and dysgraphia, who is striving to overcome her learning disabilities by self-advocating for herself and gains permission by the school to use an iPad to help her learn, Burke will graduate from the NYS partners in Policymaking in December at the age of 15. She will be their youngest graduate (the program is usually opened to people 18 years and older). NYS Partners in Policymaking is a premier innovating leadership program for people with developmental disabilities and their families. Partners will gain knowledge, networks and confidence needed to shape and influence important issues affecting disability policy. Burke will become part of a national network of advocates who are dedicated to ensuring the right for equal access and opportunity for every person living with a developmental disability today and in generations to come.
Over the summer, she was appointed to the New York Education Department (NYSED) Youth Advisory Panel. She will be serving until June 30, 2018. This will enable her to work with staff from the NYSED as well as other students on matters related to the education of students with disability.
She has gone from a child they thought would never be able to catch up in reading and writing, to now catching up to her peers and obtaining overall success in her education.
Burke is committed to sharing with her community that it is okay to have a disability and all disabilities look different, how to self-advocate for yourself, and usefulness of assistive technology in the classroom.
Burke always shares her message that “no matter how big and small, you can make a big difference.”