< Previous | Contents | Next >

Equipped for Inclusion: Report of the Strategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations

Appendix 4: Facts and Figures

According to the 'Scottish Household Survey: Bulletin No. 4' 30% of all Scottish households contain one or more person with a long-standing illness, health problem or disability that limits their daily activities or the kind of work they can do. Of these:

• 44% had difficulty climbing stairs, 39% walking for ten minutes, and 35% standing for ten minutes
• 17% had difficulty with six or more activities, and 31% of these were over 75 years of age
• 23% had adaptations or special equipment, 46% of which were over 75 years of age
• 34% had between three and five items
• 46% had handrails, 45% bath or shower seats, 41% crutches or walking sticks
• 16% said that they had a need for additional adaptations or special equipment
• of these 23% indicated bath or shower seats, 22% handrails, 13% adapted toilet seats, 12% stair-lifts

The Disability Rights Commission publication 'Key facts and figures on Disability in Scotland 2001' collates statistical information from a variety of sources to provide a helpful overview. The Disability Rights Commission defines disability as 'long term disability substantially affecting day to day activities'. Although statistics collected by other organisations do not necessarily reflect this definition the following include:

• 800,000 disabled people in Scotland in 1999 [approx. 20% of adult population]
• 2 in 3 of these over 60 years
• 1 in 6 of working age population
• 59% of the overall population of disabled people are women, due to their longer life expectancy compared to men
• 38% of disabled people in Scotland are owner-occupiers [compared to 58% of total population; 46% of disabled population in Great Britain]

• 1.7% of population estimated to be visually impaired, 90% over 75 years of age
• 18% of population estimated to have some degree of hearing loss
• an increasing proportion of people become deaf-blind as a result of old age, an illness or accident

• 61% have a net annual household income of less than £10,000 compared with 45% of households that do not have a limiting condition
• 779,000 people of working age [25% of working age population] had health problems they expected to last more than one year [1999 figures]
• 484,000 people of working age [15.6% of working age population] had long term disability substantially affecting their day to day activities
• 235,000 people claim disability living allowance

• 2,200 people receive disabled persons tax credit
• 193,000 people receive incapacity benefit
• 43,000 people receive severe disablement allowance
• 235,000 people receive disability living allowance

• 124,000 households include someone with mobility difficulties
• 96,000 people registered NHS wheelchair users in Scotland in 1999 - 70% [67,000] of these over 65 years of age [14,500 new wheelchair users each year]
• 20,000 households where someone uses a wheelchair
• 1% [24,000] of Scotland's housing is barrier free, with 2,000 of these occupied by someone using a wheelchair, and 3,000 using walking equipment
• 5,000 dwellings of full wheelchair standard available
• 110,000 households included a disabled person requiring adaptations

• 5% of all pupils [37,700] have special educational needs, and 2% [16,000] have Records of Needs

< Previous | Contents | Next >