Sinéad Burke, born 1990 is an Irish writer, academic, influencer, activist and broadcaster, popular for her TED talk 'Why design should include everyone'. She appeared on the cover of The Business of Fashion in May 2018 alongside Kim Kardashian with an interview as part of 'The Age of Influence' series. As a 16-year old, Burke often felt excluded from fashion conversations and experiences due to her limited choices available to her as someone with achondroplasia- a genetic disorder whose primary feature is dwarfism. She then started blogging to highlight the exclusive nature of the fashion industry. "People didn’t take me seriously because of my physical aesthetic, so I started blogging… and calling out the [fashion] industry". She co-founded the Inclusive Fashion and Design Collective (IFDC) with the US disability advocate Liz Jackson in order to "challenge designers who traditionally haven’t been thinking very diversely, to work with people with disabilities, and find beautiful solutions to these problems. Aesthetics are so important, but if you look at products specifically designed for the disabled community, they’re quite ugly." Jackson and Burke were invited to attend the White House for an event titled 'Design for all' where the Obama administration highlighted the intersection of fashion and disability. Burke actively campaigns to highlight the importance of inclusive design in all areas of life due to the practical challenges she faces in living and moving in a world that was not designed for people with disabilities. "Design is an enormous privilege, but it is a bigger responsibility". In 2012, Burke as Miss Minnie Mélange won the final Alternative Miss Ireland competition. In 2019, Burke became the first dwarf person to attend the Met Gala. She was one of 15 women selected to appear on the cover of the September 2019 issue of British Vogue, by guest editor Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Burke is an ambassador for the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and the Irish Girl Guides. On 4 April 2019 Michael D. Higgins, the President of Ireland, appointed her to his Council of State. Burke was a part of the Finding Power collection by Joe Caslin displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland. Burke appeared on the long-running BBC Radio 4 program hosted by Lauren Laverne on Sunday 17 May 2020. Source derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinéad_Burke

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