Nine young people with sight loss met with the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, today and were given a tactile tour of Parliament.
The group are members of the Haggeye youth forum that campaigns and represents the interests of young people who are blind and partially sighted.
They will also attend Prime Minister's Question Time, meet with their respective MPs and with Lord Colin Low, who is himself blind and a former Chair of the Royal Institute of Blind People, for tea on the terrace overlooking the Thames.
The aim of the visit is to find out more about how the Westminster policy-making and legislative framework works, and how best to campaign for change.
"This is a great opportunity to get a feel of what it's like at the very heart of decision-making," said Gemma Mackintosh, chair of Haggeye.
"We want to raise awareness of what it's like to be a young person with sight loss in Scotland today, and how campaigning can make a difference and enable us to participate more fully in a sighted world."
'Haggeye', has been set up by and for 12 to 25 year-olds living in Scotland with sight loss. The forum, supported by the Big Lottery, is campaigning on a number of issues of concern to its members, including accessible transport and amenities, and the provision of more schoolbooks and other educational materials in formats such as braille, large-print or audio.
Press Release issued: 14 October 2009.