Perceptions towards disabled people have come a long way charity says

A leading charity says Scots attitudes have changed positively towards people with disabilities.

Enable Scotland, which is celebrating 65 years of campaigning and advocacy, says the findings of a nationwide survey demonstrate that Scotland has come a long way since the charity’s launch, but still some way to go towards a fair and equal society for all in.

The survey shows that two-thirds (65%) of Scots aged 16 and over felt that, in the last 50-60 years, Scotland has made “significant progress” in the way people with learning disabilities are treated. Only one in ten (9%) think that that such progress had not been made. Older people were less likely to agree with this, with 59% for over 65s saying that significant progress had been made, compared to 69% of under 35s.

The findings will be announced today (22 November) at the charity’s annual conference.

Theresa Shearer, CEO of the Piper Group, said: “That the majority of people in Scotland think significant progress has been made in the last 50 to 60 years, including the overwhelming support for mainstream education for children and young people and support for people with learning disabilities to live in their own communities, shows that the people of Scotland are progressive in their attitudes, which we think – in this our 65th year – should be celebrated.”

The independent ScotPulse survey of over 1,000 adults, aged 16+, living in Scotland, was conducted by Mark Diffley Consultancy and Research, and found that practices such as institutionalisation, which were commonplace 65 years ago, are now roundly rejected.

Of those responding, 96% (equivalent to around 4,300,000 adults in Scotland) tended to or strongly agreed with enabling individuals with learning disabilities to live in their own homes and communities.

Only 7% of adults surveyed backed institutionalisation as an appropriate setting for people with learning disabilities.