‘Duty’ to Work? Our Response to the Recent Autumn Statement and ‘Back to Work’ Plan Disability Equality Scotland finds the proposed changes to give the Department of Work & Pensions the power to strip people of their social security as immoral, unworkable, and plainly wrong. Disabled people, not Government ministers, have a unique insight into their own lives and capabilities. They are able to contribute to society in a manner that meets these.  Along with their own medical professionals’ input, they are best placed to say whether they are fit for work. Disabled people face daily societal barriers in life
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Joint call for Scottish Government to improve devolved older age disability payment A coalition of 15 national charities and organisations coordinated by Age Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to improve their plans for the new Pension Age Disability Payment by including extra mobility and travel support for recipients. They believe that it would make the system fairer and offer disabled older people a better quality of life. This extra support, called a mobility component, is available to younger people and people below State Pension age in receipt of disability linked social security such as Personal Independence Payment and
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Vehicle Tax Exemption Research Highlights Areas for Improvement In September we asked members about their experience of applying or renewing their disabled persons vehicle tax exemption or reduction. Under current rules if someone receives the enhanced mobility component of Adult Disability Payment or Personal Independence Payment then they can apply for free vehicle tax. Where someone gets the standard mobility component there is a 50% reduction. If someone has a Motability car this is typically applied automatically. The key findings from our poll were: 75% of our members had heard of the Vehicle Tax Exemption scheme for disabled people, whereas
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Grow Your Communication Skills with Disability Equality Scotland’s Training Courses! Are you looking to enhance your skills and make a positive impact on accessibility and inclusivity? Disability Equality Scotland is excited to deliver two training courses designed to empower individuals and organisations alike. Whether you’re an individual seeking personal growth or a business aiming to make your content more accessible, our courses can help you achieve your goals. Easy Read Training Do you want to create documents that are easily understood by everyone? Our Easy Read training course is here to help you do just that! In this course, you’ll
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Work Capability Assessment: Activities and Descriptors Consultation Survey The United Kingdom Government are running a consultation on the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) as they have proposals to change how it works. The WCA is an assessment carried out for both Universal Credit (UC)  and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA.)  The results of the WCA are used by the Department for Work and Pensions to determine who can and cannot work due to their disability or health conditions and whether or not someone qualifies to receive ESA or the Health Component of UC. The  UK Governments proposed changes  cover specific activities
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News: Disability Equality Scotland’s Response to Programme for Government Announcement Disability Equality Scotland welcomes the Scottish Government’s commitment to disabled people and disabled peoples’ organisations through the Programme for Government for 2023/2024. The re-opening of the Independent Living Fund Scotland in 2024 is very welcomed.  This was a recommendation for the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, a long-standing commitment of our government and consistently requested by disabled people’s organisations across Scotland. We also welcome the commitment of the Government to continue to work closely with disabled people’s organisations to enable the Immediate Priorities Plan to be finalised and action
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Disability Equality Scotland Welcomes New Staff and Trustee We are delighted to welcome Ian, Pamela, and Sonya to our staff team and Zara Todd as a new director on our board. A big warm welcome to Ian, Pamela, Sonya, and Zara! Zara Todd – Director   Zara Todd is a disability activist, researcher, trainer, and facilitator. She is based in Edinburgh with her husband and two cats. Originally from London Zara has been involved in disability activism since childhood and co-founded the European network on independent living’s youth network. She is passionate about equity and inclusion and particularly interested in
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New Webinar: Low Emission Zones and Blue Badges, Wednesday 24 May 2023, 2:00pm to 3:30pm. Low Emission Zones have been introduced in the city centres of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow to improve air quality and people’s health. Vehicle restrictions will begin in Glasgow from 1 June 2023, with the other three cities following in 2024. Blue Badge holders are exempt from Low Emission Zones in Scotland. In partnership with Transport Scotland and Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA), this webinar will provide you with the very latest information on the work to introduce the Low Emission Zones, as well as the
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Webinar: Discussing the Future of the Accessible Travel Framework – Wednesday 8 February 2023 In partnership with Transport Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland hosted a webinar for our members in relation to the ongoing review of the Accessible Travel Framework. This webinar took place on Wednesday 8 February 2023. The webinar was hosted via Zoom and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.
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Disability Equality Scotland At 20: Accessible Travel Framework Research and Evaluation Project Disability Equality Scotland (DES) is a national membership organisation focussed on the needs of disabled people and disability groups/organisations and led by them and their lived experiences. We want to hear about your experiences of accessibility, inclusion, and equality – both good and bad! Across the various projects of the organisation, this information helps us when we meet and work with key decision makers, to best represent the needs, desires and views of the disabled community and to ensure that Scotland is accessible and inclusive for all. This
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