The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) is proud to celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day by joining together with Recite Me to raise awareness of the importance of creating a digital world which is open and accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they have a disability. So much of our lives now takes place online and this has …
To mark Scottish Learning Disability Week 2021 and our day dedicated to ‘Romance’ we caught up with David Ross, who works as a learning disability Consultant at Values Into Action Scotland (VIAS) to ask him about what it is like being married… Tell me about how you met your wife? I met Ashleyann while on a night out with …
This Scottish Learning Disability Week our theme is ‘Relationships’ and each day we’re exploring a different topic around this theme. For many people relationships with family form the cornerstone of their lives – providing a place of safety and security from which to grow from. However families are different and each person’s relationship with their family is different. In this …
We’re exploring a different topic around our ‘Relationships’ theme each day throughout Scottish Learning Disability Week 2021. Today’s topic is ‘Challenges’ – The Ann Craft Trust (ACT) is a national charity which exists to minimise the risk of abuse of disabled children and adults at risk. In this blog, CEO of the Trust, Deborah Kitson, explores safeguarding in the context …
“Look, I know that everybody gets abused, there are folk worse off than me” This quote from a woman with learning disabilities who had experienced violence and abuse throughout her life brings into stark relief a central challenge around providing support to this group; the impact of the normalisation of violence and abuse on perceptions of relationships and the expectations of the women …
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child has been incorporated in Scotland! So what now? The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) Chief Executive, Charlie McMillan, and Chief Executive of PAMIS, Jenny Miller reflect on the bill, and what needs to be achieved as it becomes law. Yesterday, The United Nations Convention on The Rights …
Relationships matter for people with learning disabilities – anyone who has been keeping an eye on the SCLD website and social media channels over the last month can be in no doubt of that. Whoever we are and wherever we come from, we all share a need for human connection, whether that be through our families, friends, romantic relationships, or through our community – such as our neighbours and …
2020 has been a tumultuous year for all of us. The Coronavirus Pandemic has presented considerable new challenges that SCLD and PAMIS believe have disproportionately impacted all disabled people, including people with learning/intellectual disabilities. Despite this, there have been some opportunities for hope including Scotland’s ongoing commitment to becoming a children’s rights respecting nation. We continue to see considerable steps …
My first kiss – The Scout Hall, Pollokshields, November 1975. Catherine Fulton in a purple midi skirt, looking a million dollars. Me, with my wide-collared floral shirt and my new flared jeans that my mum had taken the hem up on because she’d bought them with an eye for my next growth spurt that hadn’t kicked in yet. Every teenager in Pollokshields …
Relationships are tricky things for many of us, including myself, and sometimes I think it’s a case of we can’t live with them and we can’t live without them. This year has been challenging for us all and it has certainly shown me that I can’t live without relationships, even if they have to be virtual. If this is how I am feeling, I’m pretty sure that it is the …
