our disabilities manifesto 2016

8/17/2019 Our Disabilities Manifesto 2016

1/6SCOTTISH LABOUR DISABILITIES MANIFESTO

SCOTTISH LABOUR

DISABILITIES MANIFESTO

BOTH VOTES LABOUR


2/62 SCOTTISH LABOUR DISABILITIES MANIFESTO

1 in 5 people in Scotland live with a disability, but they also often live with prejudice and

discrimination. We believe in a Scotland where everyone can excel and believe in a society in

which we stop seeing disability as disadvantage, but instead have mutual respect for dierent

capabilities.

HOW WE WILL ACHIEVE EQUALITY

FOR DISABLED PEOPLE

Disabled People andOpportunity

Today disabled people are not only

prevented from reaching their full

potential, Scotland is missing out on

their talent. We need to create industry

which is welcoming to, and able to

make adjustments for, disabled people.

Scottish Labour believes that any

individual should be able to gain skills

and access employment fairly.

Our plan

• We will expect all employers to havea mental health rst aider, in the

same way as they have a statutory

duty to have a qualied rst aider for

physical health.

• We will continue to support national

anti-stigma mental illness campaigns.

• We will invest in inclusion activities

rooted within communities for

disabled people to create local

networks of support.

• We will review early diagnosis of

learning disabilities to ensure young

people can get the resources and

support they need as soon as

possible without disruption to their

education or life chances.

Disabled People and Public Life

Despite 20% of Scotland’s population

self-identifying as disabled, our

democratic structures whether the

Scottish Parliament, our councils or

public boards have never represented

this. In order to fully represent Scotland,

we need to make moves to increase the

diversity of our decision makers.

Our plan

• We will support plans for a ScottishParliament paid internship scheme

for disabled people.

• We will ensure all elected MSPs

and their sta undergo training on

working with, and representing,

disabled people.

• We will continue to support and

invest in organisations which

represent disabled peoples’ views in

public policy making.

• We will ensure consultations by

government and local authorities

are available in a range of accessible

formats.



Disabled People and theEconomy

The way in which our economy, andin particular our welfare system

works, currently excludes people with

disabilities. Scottish Labour believes

that Scotland can only succeed when

all its people have equal opportunity to

succeed.

Our plan

• We will create Skills Scotland to

deliver more inclusive skills, training

and development putting dignity and

fairness at its core. We will redesign

the Work Programme to deliver

tailored training packages.

• We will provide better support

to carers including uplifting and

increasing the exibility of Carers’

Allowance.• We will encourage employers to

accept exible working requests for

disabled people and for those caring

for a disabled person.

• We will invest in support for disabled

people to get into work.

• We will support an apprenticeship

scheme for people with disabilities to

get into work within the public sector.

• We will review the benets systemsbeing devolved to Scotland and,

crucially, develop systems with, rather

than simply for, disabled people.

Disabled People and Justice

Our justice system only works if it is

accessible for all. We know that disabled

people can be targets of hate crime and

may need support to come forward and

seek assistance.

It is vital that this is a foundation of

Scotland’s justice system and that

disabled people have condence in the

justice system.

Our plan

• We will ensure that all courts have

the ability to support people with any

disability who are providing evidence

or have been a victim of crime.

• We will provide training for Police

Scotland and frontline sta on

supporting disabled people who are

reporting a crime or have committeda crime.

• We will provide early intervention

support for prisoners who develop

mental ill health whilst in prison.



Disabled People and Education

Scottish Labour has put education at

the heart of this election. Our vision foreducation is unapologetically ambitious

and we have the highest aspirations for

people with disabilities in education.

Educational outcomes are not good

enough and will only be improved with

the renewed investment that our plans

for fairer taxes will secure.

Our plan• We will improve schooling and

support for children with learning

disabilities.

• We will dedicate support at school

for autism and other spectrum

disorders.

• We will provide more classroomassistants and additional support

sta in schools.

• We will protect the education budget

in real terms to give everybody the

chance to develop the skills they

need to compete for the high-tech

jobs of the future.

• We will invest in school basededucational psychologists

and community mental health

professionals trained in talking

therapies to widen access.

• We will begin the process of reversing

the cuts to further education to

ensure routes through education are

available for everyone who needsthem.

Disabled People and Health

Our NHS and our social care in Scotlandshould be institutions we are proud of,

institutions that are able to deliver world

class care to every individual. We have far

to go before that is a reality for disabled

people. We need change now to create

a social care system that truly supports

those it was created for.

Our plan

• We will ensure that our health and

social care services are accessible to

everyone, providing the high quality

services that every person needs.

• We will establish an implementation

group to work on ending care

charges.

• We will guarantee an appointment at

a GP surgery within 48 hours.

• We will invest in community mental

health professionals to end the

scandal of missed waiting times.

• We will deliver a National

Careworkers’ Guarantee so that everycareworker benets from a living

wage, better terms and appropriate

training for the job.



Disabled People and Transport

Our transport system isn’t meeting the

needs of Scotland’s disabled people.Accessible transport is essential for

opening up Scottish society to disabled

people. Yet 20 years after the passage

of the Disability Discrimination Act many

bus and train services are still not fully

accessible, particularly in rural areas.

Our plan• We will regulate buses ensuring

that they meet higher standards for

connectivity and accessibility.

• We will integrate Scotland’s transport

system, accessible with one

smartcard ticket for use on all modes

of public transport, the length and

breadth of our country.

• We will create a People’s Scotrail on

co-operative principles and remove

the need for notice to be given by

passengers seeking assistance.

• We will keep CalMac in the public

sector.

our disabilities manifesto 2016

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