Scotland’s next government must act on disability rights, says new disabled people’s manifesto

The next Scottish government needs to listen to disabled people and take action to ensure the systemic change needed to realise their rights, according to a new manifesto drawn up by a national disabled people’s organisation (DPO).

Inclusion Scotland says in its Manifesto for Inclusion 2026 – released ahead of next year’s Scottish Parliament elections – that disabled people and their organisations have been “deprioritised, underfunded and disregarded for too long”.

Its manifesto – developed over more than a year through workshops with disabled people across Scotland – calls for action across seven key areas.

It focuses on independent living; an adequate standard of living; co-production; education and employment; climate justice for disabled people; accessible communities; and human rights.

Inclusion Scotland said it was releasing the manifesto as disabled people’s rights were again under threat, with “renewed cruel attacks on essential support, the cost of living continuing to increase, a social care support system that is still inadequate, and an uncertain funding landscape for our disabled people’s organisations”.

Among its calls is for “radical reform” of the adult social care and support system, and the removal of all care charges for non-residential social care.

It also calls for an increase in the levels of adult disability payment – which has replaced personal independence payment in Scotland – to “uplift disabled people out of poverty”, and efforts to make sure everyone eligible is receiving it.

And it demands fair funding for DPOs, and for DPOs and disabled people to be involved “across the board” in policy development, planning and delivery.

On employment, it calls for the Access to Work scheme to be devolved to Scotland and a new version co-designed with disabled people.

The manifesto also warns that the Scottish government and local authorities have been “failing to consider the needs of disabled people when planning for climate disasters”, which “needs to change”, with lessons that must be learned from the COVID-19 pandemic and other crises, “in order to stop preventable harm and yet further violations of our human rights”.

The document also demands a commitment to a better accessible transport system after 2026, and improved availability of accessible and adaptable housing for disabled people.

And on rights, the manifesto calls for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be “fully incorporated” into Scottish law and for there to be “accountability and responsibility” for disabled people’s rights “at the highest level of government”.

Heather Fisken, Inclusion Scotland’s chief executive, said: “We need to start seeing immediate systemic change to address the deep-seated inequality we face in every domain of life.

“The asks in this manifesto are not new.

“Disabled people have been demanding these changes for decades only to have commitments revoked, [and] policies scrapped or inadequately implemented.

“The next Scottish government needs to not only listen to disabled people but act.

“Change is the only way to ensure disabled people’s human rights are realised and we can be active and equal parts of our communities.”

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of DNS and allow it to continue producing independent, carefully-researched news stories that focus on the lives and rights of disabled people and their user-led organisations.

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that DNS is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist John Pring and has been from its launch in April 2009.

Thank you for anything you can do to support the work of DNS…