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1 Introduction
1.1 Disabled people in Scotland
According to latest estimates there are approximately one million disabled people in Scotland. That means 20% of the population, or one in five people.
Disabled people are an often hidden part of every community. They may be your neighbours or your family members. They may be your work colleagues or your customers - or want to be. They may be parents, children, friends, partners, home-owners, passengers, comedians, political activists, entrepreneurs, film enthusiasts, and so on. Like everyone else, disabled people have an age, a gender, an ethnicity, and a sexual orientation. They live in rural and remote locations, cities and villages. They have every possible characteristic, even if too often they are defined just by their impairment.
For all the ways in which disabled people are just the same as everyone else, they are different because of the extent to which their life chances are blighted by inequality and exclusion. According to DRC Scotland figures, approximately four in ten (42 per cent) of all households with a disabled person have an income of £10,000 or less. Of the working age population 45 per cent of disabled people are in employment compared to 82 per cent of non-disabled people. Fifty-eight per cent of disabled people (with or without a long-term illness) have no qualifications compared to 24 per cent of non-disabled people. One in five disabled Scots has experienced harassment because of their disability.
The figures may speak for themselves but they cannot convey the reality of many disabled people's day-to-day lives. Disabled people can find they are denied the opportunity to exercise full citizenship, to make the most of their potential to contribute to society. The focus can be exclusively on what disabled people can't do, not on what they can - on disability rather than abilities. Disabled people may effectively be denied basic human rights, to choice and control over how they live their lives, freedom of movement and access to information. Too often they experience patronising attitudes - and sometimes even outright hostility. Too frequently their views are not sought on matters directly affecting them. It is not surprising that disabled people can feel devalued, disrespected and dismissed.
However, it would be wrong to suggest that there has been no progress over recent years. The introduction and extension of rights, the establishment of the Disability Rights Commission, the wider availability of direct payments, the recognition of British Sign Language and Irish Sign Language as minority languages, and the introduction of the concessionary travel scheme are just some of the initiatives that have helped make a positive difference. Despite this, high levels of inequality and exclusion stubbornly persist, to the detriment of disabled people - and of wider Scottish society.
Disability is not an inevitable consequence of having a physical, sensory, communication or intellectual impairment. Disability is the creation of uninformed policies, poorly-considered institutional practices, and public attitudes founded on wildly inaccurate stereotypes. Yet, rarely is there a deliberate intention to exclude. Many would be appalled to learn that their actions and inactions are causing disability and disempowerment. The good news is that, if the will is there, policymakers, institutions, and society in general can remove the disabling barriers they create. The even better news is that there is increasing evidence that the will to do so exists. The question is how to find out what needs to be done. The answer is - ask disabled people and their organisations.
With this in mind, in 2004 the Scottish Executive Equality Unit established the Disability Working Group ( DWG). This followed on from the European Year of Disabled People in 2003, in recognition of the need to build on what this had achieved.
1.2 Purpose and structure of this report
This report presents the recommendations of the Disability Working Group. These set an agenda primarily for the Scottish Executive but also for other key players including local authorities, employers, educators, community care providers and others. In fact, everyone has a role to play in making disability equality a reality. Not only is it a matter of getting policies right, but of how day-to-day interactions with disabled people are conducted. Nothing short of a major cultural shift is required.
Although the Disability Working Group set up satellite groups each with a specific focus, it was striking that the same issues were often identified by different groups. This presents significant challenges when it comes to presenting the recommendations coherently. No matter how this report was structured, many recommendations would be relevant to more than one section. As with everyone else, disabled people and their lives cannot be neatly sub-divided into boxes. This underlines the importance of 'joined up' policy. A wide range of action is required by a wide range of institutions. Failure in one area can have knock-on effects elsewhere.
The report begins by considering the 'big picture' context in which the recommendations are made, to show how they are relevant to current debates. The next section focuses on 'overarching themes' which inform the strategic direction and/or the implementation of others. Particular policy areas are then discussed in section four. Finally, the report charts what needs to happen next, to transform recommendations into reality.
1.3 The Disability Working Group
The Disability Working Group ( DWG) was comprised of representatives from leading national disability organisations and other major players (see annex 2 for details). Its remit was:
"To establish priorities for the Scottish Executive and partner organisations to promote equality for disabled people in Scotland; and to develop proposals on longer term mechanisms for engagement with the disability sector."
There are many areas where action is required, and there were many possible ways of structuring discussion. In order to focus deliberations, it was agreed to establish four 'satellite groups' around key areas. Each proposed recommendations which were then discussed and agreed by a 'core group'. The satellite groups were:
- Group 1: Employment
- Group 2: Public Sector Duty to Promote Disability Equality; Mainstreaming Disability Equality; Corporate Responsibility; Engaging Public Authorities
- Group 3: Consultation and communication; education and training; citizenship and public attitudes
- Group 4: Social inclusion; poverty; independent living; direct payments; care and support services
Please refer to annexes for a summary of recommendations from each group and for group membership. For background papers and minutes, please see the Disability Working Group's website (go to the Scottish Executive's website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk, go to the 'Topics' heading, click on 'People and Society', then on 'Equality' and then on 'Disabled People').
To avoid duplicating effort and make the best use of limited time, the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland ( MACS), Sport Scotland, Scottish Disability Sport and the Scottish Arts Council were consulted to see if there was scope for the DWG to add value. Presentations were made to the DWG by representatives from these bodies. Speakers highlighted the need for baseline research on disability and sport and disability and the arts, and the importance of education and training on disability. The DWG was already addressing the latter but agreed to propose a recommendation to support the need for baseline research in those areas.
Baseline research should be conducted on disabled people's participation in the arts and sport - not just competitive sport but sports in general.
Core Group
Apart from that, it was concluded that transport, access to the arts, sport and culture were already well covered by others and therefore the DWG would not make recommendations on these.
One important area which the DWG did not have time to look at which was acknowledged to require further work was rehabilitation. There remain issues to consider around its meaning and delivery in the context of employment, independent living support, and health.
An exercise to develop 'proposals on longer-term mechanisms for engagement with the disability sector' is currently underway and has not yet concluded. It is therefore not discussed in this report which only aims to address the first half of the DWG's remit.
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