Disability History Month
The final item of business today is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-01265, in the name of Siobhan McMahon, on disability history month. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament welcomes the UK’s second Disability History Month; notes that “Celebrating our struggle for equality” will be the theme for 2011 and that its purpose is to raise the profile of disabled people’s rights and to advocate disability equality by celebrating the historical and contemporary struggles and the achievements of disabled people globally; further notes that, by taking place between the 22 November and 22 December, the event will cover International HIV/AIDS Day, International Day of People with Disabilities and International Human Rights Day; considers that the UK Government’s latest spending cuts will have a disproportionate and unfair impact on disabled people across Scotland, and particularly those in Central Scotland, and would welcome recognition and a celebration of the second UK Disability History Month.
17:03
It is an honour and privilege to host the first Scottish Parliament members’ business debate on United Kingdom disability history month. I will start by saying a few words about disability history month, which has only just entered its second year.
In 2009, several organisations and charities that represent disabled people were commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to conduct research into the possibility of having a disability history week in schools. The research found overwhelming support for the idea, so it was suggested that the week be extended to a month, to be held every year between 22 November and 22 December. Disability history month aims to bring together disparate organisations including educational establishments, voluntary organisations, employers, local authorities and national Government to allow them to collaborate to facilitate events, organise campaigns and arrange speakers and materials. The idea is to provide a forum in which issues that are of relevance to disabled people and groups can be debated, discussed and publicised. The key purpose is to raise awareness of the unequal position of disabled people in society and to examine the roots of that inequality by highlighting disabled people’s historical and contemporary struggles for acceptance and inclusion.
This year, the theme of the month is “celebrating our struggle for equality”. When I came to write my speech, I was struck by two points. The first was that whenever we discuss issues that relate to inequality and prejudice, the temptation is always to be negative and to dwell on defeats as opposed to victories, and on the past rather than on the future. I do not wish to be negative, partly because this year’s theme includes the word “celebrating” and also because, whether in the service of religion, gender, disability or race, the struggle against adversity is always bittersweet. It is bitter because it reminds us of a collective propensity for fear, discrimination and prejudice, and it is sweet because it reminds us of the unbreakable strength of the human spirit and our refusal to lie down in the face of injustice.
I will celebrate that determination and strength, which brings me to my second point. Some of history’s most famous personages have been disabled, but not enough time has been devoted to the willpower and courage that it takes to surmount such difficulties. What do Socrates, Pythagoras and Charles Dickens have in common? All three were epileptic, as were Agatha Christie and Richard Burton. John Milton—arguably Britain’s greatest poet—was completely without sight when he wrote his famous masterpiece “Paradise Lost”. British percussionist Evelyn Glennie has been deaf since the age of 12, and Beethoven wrote some of his most famous works while suffering from tinnitus—a condition that eventually rendered him completely deaf. Franklin Roosevelt—architect of the new deal, and the man responsible for steering Americans through the second world war—contracted polio in 1926 and was paralysed from the waist down for much of his presidency. Actor Rowan Atkinson suffers from a speech impediment, and the late television presenter Jeremy Beadle was the first person to appear on national television with a visible physical disability. Finally, Alison Lapper has forged a remarkable career as an artist, despite being born without arms.
That is just a small selection of individuals who have shown great courage in the face of adversity. They and others like them serve as examples to us all. However, there are many other individuals whose achievements are equally inspiring, although they are perhaps less well known. Born in 1939, Edward Verne Roberts was the first individual with severe disabilities to attend the University of California at Berkeley. A man of great determination and charisma, Roberts faced up to his fears while still at school and worked hard to generate a positive self-image. He overcame the objections of Berkeley’s administrators—one of whom reportedly commented,
“We’ve tried cripples before and it didn’t work”—
to enrol in 1962. He earned a BA in 1964 and an MA in 1966. Roberts’s example inspired many others to enter the university through the Cowell residence programme.
Roberts formulated a political analysis that interpreted his disability in a positive light, and he attracted a group of like-minded followers who named themselves the Rolling Quads. The group was instrumental in the creation of the physically disabled students programme. Roberts later returned to Berkeley to head the Center for Independent Living, which caters for the needs of disabled people in the wider community. He was a pioneering and courageous leader, who is now often referred to as the father of the disability rights movement.
Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy into a working-class family in Dublin in 1932. Despite pressure to place him in a convalescent hospital, Brown’s parents raised him at home where, from an early age, he displayed a keen interest in the arts and literature. Lacking formal schooling, he taught himself to write and paint with the only limb of which he had control—his left leg. In 1952, Brown published “My Left Foot”, which quickly became a literary sensation and was later made into an Academy award winning film. Although best known for “My Left Foot”, Brown published a series of other novels, including “Down all the Days”, which was translated into 14 languages. Christy Brown is one of my heroes.
Disability history month not only provides an opportunity to commemorate those achievements and similar achievements, but allows members of the disabled community to express themselves and discuss their experiences of living with a disability. On 22 November, more than 50 people attended the launch of disability history month Scotland in Edinburgh. Contributors included George Lamb—he is present this evening—who recounted his experience of growing up disabled before comparing current and historical attitudes to disability. Jo McFarlane, who is disability history month’s resident poet, spoke with eloquence and scathing humour about the need for disabled people to reclaim their identity and about the recent “hardest hit” rallies. The launch was a tremendous success, and I hope that I will be able to attend next year’s.
I would do the Parliament a disservice if I did not note that many of the UK’s 12 million disabled people are still daily victims of bullying, hate crime and systematic discrimination. Between 70 and 80 per cent of disabled people claim to have experienced bullying at school, while 69 disabled people were murdered between 2007 and 2010 and a further 519 were attacked.
I cannot finish without touching on the Welfare Reform Bill, which will disproportionately penalise disabled people. That is simply not acceptable, so I and my Labour colleagues will continue to fight the proposals at every turn.
I end on a positive note. I am delighted to have had the opportunity to commemorate the on-going struggle of disabled people against adversity. I thank all those who have attended tonight’s debate and I look forward to hearing what other members have to say on this important issue.
17:10
I am pleased to be called to speak in this important and timely members’ debate on disability history month, which Siobhan McMahon has secured. I acknowledge the work that Siobhan McMahon has done in the campaign to achieve equality of treatment for disabled people across all aspects of their lives.
The establishment of disability history month in 2010 was an important marker in provoking debate about the profile of disabled people’s rights. The event serves to act as a celebration of the achievements of disabled people, many of which were listed by Siobhan McMahon. Those achievements are a matter of record, notwithstanding the adversity that disabled people face in their daily lives. Many individuals’ achievements do not attract much by way of publicity, but the Herculean effort and determination involved on the part of the individual concerned mean that such achievements are truly colossal in anyone’s book.
As Siobhan McMahon said, this members’ debate is timely because it falls on the eve of the Parliament’s legislative consent motion debate on the United Kingdom Welfare Reform Bill. That bill, which was introduced by the Tory-Liberal Democrat Government in London, has proved to be extremely controversial because of its likely impact on disabled people. The legislation will impose changes to disability benefit and support that will cut the budget for the disability living allowance by 20 per cent. That is the stated motivation for the changes to be introduced by the bill. It is all about cuts and has nothing to do with fairness or with improving the operation of the system for those who are entitled to some help and support because of their disability. Surely, in a civilised society, the payment of a benefit to assist with a disability should be seen as an entitlement and not a handout.
It would be instructive for the UK Tory-Liberal Government in London, during disability history month, to reflect further on the deeply damaging impact that the legislation will have on disabled people who will be affected disproportionately in Scotland and who have been placed in a state of fear and alarm. There is no safety net in the proposals. The UK Government should be ashamed of itself and should amend the bill in light of the widespread concerns that have been raised across the spectrum. There are no second-class citizens here in Scotland and it is simply unacceptable to me and to my colleagues that the UK Government, through the Welfare Reform Bill, is content to see disabled people being treated so shoddily.
As Siobhan McMahon said, disability history month is not just about negatives. It is very much about focusing on positives. I end on a more positive note by mentioning the recent launch of the human rights toolkit for disabled people and their advocates. That is excellent source material and a practical guide for disabled people and for all those who have responsibility for ensuring that the rights of disabled people are respected. It is not enough just to talk about the rights of disabled people; there must be appropriate mechanisms for ensuring that those rights can be enforced. More work needs to be done here, but I am convinced that the publication of that toolkit is a significant step on the way to creating a truly just society in which we can all enjoy our rights as individuals.
Presiding Officer, I thank you for calling me to speak in the debate and I congratulate Siobhan McMahon on securing it.
Many thanks. I call Nanette Milne, after which the minister will wind up the debate.
17:14
This is a very timely debate, the first of its kind in this Parliament, and the fact that disability history month Scotland launched only last month following the launch last year of its UK sister group means that an enormous amount of work has been undertaken in a relatively short time. Therefore, I have no hesitation in congratulating Siobhan McMahon on bringing this important debate to the chamber.
As members have mentioned and as the text of the motion makes clear, the theme of this year’s disability history month is
“Celebrating our struggle for equality”.
It is only right that as a nation we look to the past for lessons that we can learn for the future, and in the field of equality for disabled people we witness a very clear struggle for the same rights as everyone else.
Without doubt, the most significant contribution to disabled people’s rights was made by the Labour MP, Alf—now Lord—Morris. In the late 1960s, there was hardly a mention in Britain’s statute books of disability but Alf Morris, who was deeply affected by his father’s disabilities, set about drafting a private member’s bill that encapsulated ideas such as providing help at home, assessing a person’s needs and—most important—making local authorities responsible for ensuring that the environment around disabled people was accessible. Despite what was, at best, Government indifference, Lord Morris’s bill was passed as the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 and, four years later, he became the first minister for the disabled anywhere in the world.
However, there was still much more to do, such as getting disabled people out of institutions in which they had been incarcerated as a result of wrong assessments and giving them the freedom to lead independent lives. Disability benefit was eventually introduced and, in 1995, John Major’s Conservative Government passed the Disability Discrimination Act, which made it unlawful to discriminate against those with a disability when providing services and, in most cases, when employing people.
Further legislation in the past decade has impacted on and benefited the lives of disabled people; indeed, one example that will be apparent to all of us in the chamber has been the requirement on us either to alter our constituency offices or to make alternative arrangements to ensure that we are accessible to our disabled constituents. Although that is progress, it should not have taken legislation to make that happen.
I applaud the mood of the debate but I am slightly disappointed that, when we are here to celebrate the struggle for equality for disabled people—and rightly so—the second part of the motion makes a partisan point that I know Siobhan McMahon and others feel strongly about but which I feel would be better left out of this debate and left to tomorrow’s discussions. However, I finish by quoting Alf Morris, who, last year, said about disabled rights:
“I don’t like talking about what I or my bill achieved. That way lies complacency. There’s still so much to be done.”
Many thanks. I believe that there is to be an unexpected but nonetheless welcome contribution from Jackie Baillie.
17:18
Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Far be it from me to contribute to this debate at the last minute, but I felt that we could not mark this occasion with such a small number of speakers, even though their speeches were exceptional.
First of all, I congratulate my colleague Siobhan McMahon on securing the debate, which I understand is the first ever in the Parliament on disability history month. Although the event has been going for two years, this is the first time that it has been recognised in Scotland.
Nanette Milne was absolutely right to remind us of the legal aspects, changes to the law and Alf Morris’s considerable role in introducing disability legislation for the first time and creating the post of UK minister for the disabled. However, if this were simply a question of passing legislation, a lot of the issues that continue to trouble us today would have been resolved long ago. It is about mainstreaming approaches to equality and the treatment of equality, not only across the public sector but in the private sector and, indeed, in every part of society. I am very proud that this Parliament was very much founded on the principles of equality and that we have an Equal Opportunities Committee that is engaged in making progress on these issues. That is all to the good, because more progress needs to be made and we on these benches will work with the Government to ensure that that happens.
That said, I cannot fail to reflect on the fact that, tomorrow morning, we will again debate welfare reform proposals that have emanated from the UK Government. I have no problem with reform of the welfare state, which is overly complicated and often cumbersome and difficult to work through. Simplifying it is not a problem, but applying a 20 per cent cut to disability living allowance in advance of anybody being assessed is surely wrong and unfair.
I recall David Cameron saying in Parliament or in his Cabinet—I cannot remember quite where—that we did not need to worry and that the cuts, the changes to welfare and the consequences of the economic downturn would be borne by those with the broadest shoulders. Therefore, the disproportionate impact on disabled people is, frankly, astonishing. They will be hardest hit by the reforms. It is incumbent on members of the Scottish Parliament and our colleagues in the UK Parliament to change the proposals substantially and protect those people, who are perhaps some of the most vulnerable people in our communities. We will discuss that further tomorrow.
The debate has been extremely useful. I would like us to consider—I am sure that the minister will point the way—how we can make a huge difference to the lives and experience of disabled people in Scotland, not just through legislation or mainstreaming approaches, but in practical ways.
17:21
As other members have done, I congratulate Siobhan McMahon on securing the debate, which comes soon after another members’ business debate that she secured—she clearly has the knack. She has taken a particular interest in the issue since she joined the Parliament and is now a deputy convener of the cross-party group in the Scottish Parliament on disability. I should say that I set up that group back in 2000 and that the first minister to address it was one Jackie Baillie, who at that time was the Minister for Social Justice. I have no doubt that the group continues to do valuable work in engaging with a range of stakeholders from across Scotland who have an interest in disability issues.
I welcome the opportunity to debate the second disability history month, which helps to raise the profile of disabled people’s rights and advocacy for disability equality. Given that equality is a key theme in this year’s disability history month, it is worth reminding members of the United Nations universal declaration of human rights, which was signed 63 years ago, on 10 December 1948, in the aftermath of the horrors of the second world war. Article 1 states:
“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”.
Article 2 states:
“Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind”.
Those are powerful words. Our task, these many years on, is to ensure that they are not just words and that measures are taken that turn into actions across our society—actions that we take as a nation as we go into 2012.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which followed in 2007, builds on article 1 of the declaration to which I referred. On 24 November this year, the UK Government submitted the first UK report to the UN, setting out the Government’s position and progress on the issues. The Scottish Government contributed to the report with regard to Scottish activity.
Given that it is disability history month and that equality is a key theme running through the programme, I will highlight one area that demonstrates the historical changes for disabled people in Scotland. Back in 1980, 6,500 people with a learning disability in Scotland were in long-stay hospital care. The figure reduced to 2,450 by 1998 and under “The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities”, no one with a learning disability was in a long-stay hospital by the midpoint of 2006. That is significant progress for people with a learning disability and is to be celebrated. However, the example also illustrates the struggle that many people with a disability such as a learning disability faced in being able to live their lives normally and on an equal basis in the community.
The pathway and journey for people with a disability continue. A large amount of the money that we put into community care for adult services goes towards supporting people with a disability to live in the community. Although more people with a disability are living independently in our communities with additional support, the journey continues and there is a growing demand for people with a disability not to be supported by services that are provided by others but to have greater control over their lives and to be able to decide how they are supported and how to manage their situation in their own home and community.
That is one of the key policies that we intend to take forward through the self-directed support bill, which we intend to bring to Parliament in this session. We will give people greater control over their own personal situation and the responsibility to take forward arrangements in a way that best suits them. Since the 1980s, when some 6,500 people with a learning disability were in long-stay hospital settings, we have therefore moved to the point now when I have constituents with a learning disability who are keen to use self-directed support to manage their care in a way that best suits their needs.
I turn to some of the concerns that have been raised about the welfare reforms that the UK Government is taking forward. We are concerned about the speed and scale of the cuts that it intends to make to the welfare provision programme. People who are the most vulnerable and have the poorest outcomes are often the least able to cope with such significant change. That includes lone parents, people living in deprived areas, pensioners and disabled people. I suspect that history will show that some of the reforms that the UK Government intends to take forward will result in a significant change for people with a disability in Scotland and across the rest of the UK.
The only point of difference that I have with Siobhan McMahon’s motion is that I do not think that the reform will have any more of an impact on the people of Central Scotland than it will on people in the north of Scotland, Liverpool or Manchester. I think that the impact will be the same—and it will be significant.
As a Government, we will continue to engage with the UK Government to express our concerns about how it is taking forward the welfare reforms, the lack of detail regarding certain elements, the anxieties that people with a disability are expressing and the impact that the reforms could have on their equality and their right to live their lives in a meaningful way. We debated the issue in this Parliament on 5 October and, as Jackie Baillie, said we will have a further debate on the legislative consent motion, which will come before the Parliament tomorrow.
There has been a significant journey in ensuring that people with a disability have equality in their lives and in how they are treated. As we draw to the end of 2011, we have an opportunity to consider what we have to do in the years to come to ensure that people with a disability continue to get the equality that they deserve. As a Government, we are committed to continuing that pathway.
Meeting closed at 17:28.