The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) is recruiting for a Finance & Resources Assistant to support our operational hubs. This role will support the Finance and Resource Manager with organisational accounting activities. This includes raising, sending, and paying invoices and reconciling company accounts. You will also assist with basic administration tasks and should be on hand to …
Scotland goes into New Year lockdown
As of Tuesday 5th January 2021, the Scottish Government has announced a nationwide lockdown. People are advised to stay at home as much as possible and to only leave home for essential reasons. You can find out more about the new restrictions here. To help people with learning/intellectual disabilities to understand how the lockdown restrictions will affect them, the Scottish …
Update to the COVID-19 Guided Self-help Booklets
“It is many months since the start of the first COVID lockdown in March, and things are different now. Winter has started and people wear masks when they go into shops or travel on buses and trains. It has been hard not getting to see friends and family as much. It has also been hard not getting to do lots …
UN International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2020
To mark the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) today invited key stakeholders to take part in a virtual roundtable, on incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into Scottish law. At the event we heard inputs from the United Nations Committee …
The human rights case for priority COVID-19 vaccinations for people with learning/intellectual disabilities
It has become clear from UK-wide data that people with a learning/intellectual disability are disproportionately at risk from, and affected by, the COVID-19 virus. We are now hearing positive news about the development and approval of vaccines for Covid-19. The following Position Statement from the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) outlines the human rights case on why …
UK-wide research project seeks people with learning disabilities
A team of university researchers from across the UK are looking for people with learning disabilities to take part in a new study about their experiences during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The team is led by Professor Chris Hatton (Manchester Metropolitan University) and Professor Richard Hastings (University of Warwick). Professor Andrew Jahoda (University of Glasgow) is leading the Scottish part …
People with learning disabilities and the data collection gap
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought many things to light in terms of inequalities in our society, and this has certainly been the case when it comes to the welfare and human rights of people with learning disabilities. It was at the height of the pandemic in the April of 2020, that it became apparent that there was not adequate data on how COVID-19 …
A Wee Blether with… John Paul, National Director of dates-n-mates Scotland and Sarah, Director of dates-n-mates Aberdeen
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 …
Unlocking the door to children’s human rights
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 …
A Conspiracy of Mountains, Valleys and Rivers
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 …