Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government’s delivery plan to advance disability equality and rights, ‘ A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People’ , was published in December 2016 and covered the period 2016-2021.

We published a report on progress on 22 March 2021, which outlined that the delivery plan laid the groundwork for further progress towards equality. We reported that over the past 5 years, in many different areas, good work that promotes and progresses the rights of disabled people has been taken forward. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly had a disproportionate impact on disabled people and has halted some of the gains made towards equality. However, it has in some situations seen positive progress made at a rapid pace and has brought about a wider public awareness of inequality. To achieve equality will take more time, but the work undertaken is a good start.

The Programme for Government included a commitment that we will work in partnership with disabled people to draw up a new Disability Equality Plan, which we will publish in 2022.

The next phase of development in relation to this commitment is now underway. The new Disability Equality Plan will consider the Social Renewal Advisory Board recommendations; the Independent Review of Adult Social Care; the decision to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities into Scots Law to the extent possible within devolved competence; and the content of discussions with Disabled People’s Organisations, including those held at the Disability Summit in December 2020.

In developing the next phase of this work, we are clear that disabled people should have freedom, dignity, choice and control over their lives. We want to remove the barriers that stop people from enjoying equal access to full citizenship.