By Bonny Burrows
Kim Berry is living proof disability is no barrier when it comes to achieving your dreams.
Despite living with cerebral palsy and vision impairment, the 20-year-old is working as a teaching assistant at Pakenham Hills Primary School.
Co-ordinated by disability support service, Scope, Kim spends one day a week supporting art teacher Rachel Mauger with her Grade 3 and 4 art classes.
Kim, who aspires to one day be an integration aide, loves it.
“I enjoy getting to see the satisfaction on the student’s faces when they’ve completed the work,” Kim said.
The work allows Kim, who attended a specialist school, to experience mainstream education, and she hopes to inspire others with a disability.
“I want people with a disability to know they can have the same opportunities.”
Scope General Manager Jenni Hendy said Kim’s presence in the classroom also helped break down society’s barriers between those with and without a disability.
“For the students, they learn that Kim and other people with a disability can take on leadership positions in our community and see first-hand the enormous value people with a disability bring to our communities,” Ms Hendy said.
Kim, who with the new job has a newfound independence, said the position had given her the confidence to take the next steps towards her goal.
“I’ve wanted to be an integration aide since I was four, and now I’m on my way,” Kim said.
