Pennie Taylor attended the recent Disabled People's Annual Summit - and saw the foundations being laid for a new approach to housing
Have you ever thought about how easy - or not - it would be for you to continue living in your home if you were to become disabled?
I have. A broken ankle (thankfully a short-term disability) recently showed me that had I suffered permanent impairment to my mobility I would soon become housebound, unable to negotiate the stairs in the close in which I live to reach my own front door.
It was a sobering realisation, and one that I reflected on in preparation for chairing last week’s disabled people’s housing summit in Maryhill Burgh Hall.
The summit, entitled Our Place, Our Space, was organised by Independent Living in Scotland, part of Inclusion Scotland. It brought together participants from across the country to debate what needs to be done to ensure that disabled people in Scotland share the fundamental human right to a suitable, accessible home.
Our ageing demographic will bring with it fast-growing numbers of people with chronic, disabling conditions - it is vital that preparation for their housing starts now
Pennie Taylor
The evidence shows that there is a long way to go before we can realise that ambition: thousands of disabled people are trapped in accommodation where they cannot move around, get out, cook, wash or use the toilet; others have no choice but to live in costly residential care, or remain in hospital, for want of a home to meet their needs.
And given population trends, things can only get worse. Our ageing demographic will bring with it fast-growing numbers of people living with chronic, disabling conditions. It is vital that preparation for their housing starts now.
The summit was opened by Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman MSP, who arrived fresh from the launch of the Scottish Government’s delivery plan to 2021 for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The minister expressed her commitment to leading transformative change, which was warmly welcomed by delegates who shared their personal experiences of housing problems.
One spoke of her frustration that builders seem to assume that disabled people live alone, as wheelchair accessible new housing rarely comes bigger than one bedroom; others spoke about the necessity for accessible public housing for disabled people to be available in quiet areas, and close to individual support networks; while there were impassioned calls for landlords and estate agents to promote disabled-friendly housing to meet the needs of private renters and buyers.
A series of seminars explored issues as diverse as disabled-friendly environments, hate crime and how to combat it, and the need for disability law centres in Scotland – like those that exist in England – to support disabled people to exercise their rights.
Closing the summit was a panel debate that ranged over how to ensure effective involvement of disabled people in local planning issues; how to continue working with builders to future-proof new housing stock; and a call to address the housing needs of disabled people in remote and rural areas as well as urban centres.
Ultimately, there was a call for greater understanding among non-disabled people of the need for appropriate housing for people with disabilities, wheresoever they wish to live. It seems that the Scottish Government is working on potentially controversial new legislation that would enforce the right of people to make adaptations to common areas, such as my close at home.
For me, looking to the future, that is good news. After all, each and every one of us might have need of it at some point in our lives.
Pennie Taylor is a broadcaster and journalist who covers health and social care issues.
