A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People: summary

Work already underway

2016 is the 20th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act and marks 10 years since the UK adopted the UNCRPD. This Delivery Plan is rooted in the UNCRPD and recognises that the human rights of disabled people must underpin all of our activity across the whole range of policy and legislation which affects disabled people.

We have made progress since these landmark events, and this Delivery Plan builds on the firm foundations of work already underway. The Delivery Plan also provides the connection between these different areas of work and establishes the overarching ambitions of our work on disability issues and our use of the social model of disability.

The actions set out in this Delivery Plan are complementary to the many other programmes of work already underway which have a positive impact on disabled people. In some cases there is potential for these programmes to do more or work differently, so that they better meet the needs of disabled people and we will look for opportunities to make these changes.

So while there is much more we need to do in the current parliamentary term and beyond to create a fairer Scotland for disabled people across Scotland, we are building on firm foundations. Our ambitions are long term but the actions here that we will take forward, together with the wide range of existing work, will make a real difference. We will continue to work with disabled people to ensure they hold us to account.

'We've still got a long way to go in terms of achieving full equality for disabled people but let me tell you, having lived through the past decades with my disability and witnessing how far we've come so far, I couldn't be prouder to call Scotland my home and I'm full of hope for the next generation.'

Jen Robertson
Disabled person, Ayr