About Disability Equality Scotland

  • We are a national charity working to make life more accessible, equal and inclusive for disabled people in Scotland.
  • We promote access in its widest sense, including access to the built and natural environment and access to the same opportunities as are enjoyed by others in our communities thus promoting a life of dignity, respect, choice and independence. This extends beyond physical access to include access to information, access to inclusive communication and inclusion in decision-making, whether with planners over inclusive design or transport providers about accessible travel.
  • We represent the views of individuals with any type of impairment, as well as disability organisations and groups who share Disability Equality Scotland’s values.
  • We are the umbrella organisation for all disability Access Panels in Scotland, providing them with support and guidance to improve the lives of disabled people at a local level throughout Scotland.
  • We are membership led. If you are an individual or an organisation, you can join our membership for FREE and help to further our aims. We work to influence the policies of the Scottish Government, which affect how disabled people live and we work to encourage others to be inclusive and informed in their attitudes towards disabled people.

Our Vision

Working towards Equality, Inclusion and Participation for Disabled People in Scotland

Our Mission

Our mission at Disability Equality Scotland is to give all disabled people in Scotland a voice with trust, care and empathy.  We will use what we hear to advocate for and enable change to improve lives.

We will achieve this through:

  • Working with Access Panels
  • Working with members
  • Working with partners and stakeholders

Our Principles

Our principles help guide us in what we want to achieve.  Our work is focused on our three principles:

  • Positivity: Positive Approach.  We are a solutions focused organisation.  We want to hear what is working well and what is not working to approach the issues in a positive way.
  • Promotion: Promoting Equality.  We are a proactive and media aware organisation.  We look to promote good/best practice and achieve a greater awareness of disability equality and accessibility across Scotland.
  • Partnership: Partnership-focused. We are a collaborative organisation.  We work with partners across all sectors to achieve real measurable change across Scotland with regard to access and equality.  We are committed to the disabled people’s motto of “nothing about us without us”.

Articles of Association

Download our Articles of Association.

Strategic Plan 2020-2023

We are proud to launch a new three-year Strategic Plan for 2020-2023. As a membership-led organisation, the strategy is fully formed by the views and experiences of disabled people across Scotland.

Read more about our Strategic Plan 2020-2023

Annual Report and Meeting Minutes

View our Annual Report and Accounts, which details some of the activities undertaken by Disability Equality Scotland. 

We have uploaded the minutes from our Annual General Meetings and Board of Trustees Meetings in various accessible formats.