Disability charity sets out its vision for an inclusive Scotland post-referendum

Disabled people are continually being excluded in everyday society according to a major disability charity.

Inclusion Scotland said people with a disability are still largely left out from many areas of Scottish economic, political and social life.

It has called on the Scottish Government to draw up a strategy to combat the problem but urged it to work with disabled people and disability charities.

To kickstart the process Inclusion Scotland has created its own Vision for an Inclusive Scotland document.

Drawing upon responses that disabled people gave at several events around the country and to an online survey of disabled people in Scotland it sets out 10 main areas which it feels should be included in any future strategy.

Currently only two out of 129 MSPs are known to self-identify as being disabled despite one in five of the population having a disability and creating more involvement in politics for disabled people features high-up in the document.

With only 44% of disabled people of working age in employment compared to 80% of non-disabled people, creating better employment opportunities through internships and joining up transport with accessible venues should also be made a priority.

Tressa Burke, acting chair of Inclusion Scotland, said: “This is an important document in that it tells all decision makers at all levels of government what disabled people want and how they want it.

“Going forward, disabled people have been clear that they would like to be involved in shaping that future outlined in this Vision, to make their rights to be included in Scottish society a reality.”

Vision for an Inclusive Scotland has been sent to all Scottish MSP’s, MP’s and MEP’s; all the major UK and Scottish parties for consideration for their manifestos; leaders and chief executives of all local authorities and the NHS and other public bodies as well as the Mental Welfare Commissioner for Scotland, the Scottish Commissioner for Children and Young People, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission.

Sally Witcher, Inclusion Scotland’s chief executive added: “At this moment Scotland’s future is on a knife edge.

“Nobody knows what the outcome of the referendum on Scottish Independence will be. What we do know is that disabled people have told us what they would like to happen to make Scotland a better place to live, and we hope that everyone going forward in shaping Scotland’s future will take notice of what disabled people want for our part in that.”

Inclusion Scotland added any future strategy should have clear outcomes which could be measured every year in a report laid before parliament.