It’s good to know that there are so many organisations available to help disabled people in Scotland. Here are a few you might like to know about.

Capability Scotland

Capability Scotland work with disabled people, their families and carers to provide a wide range of services which meet their aspirations, regardless of the stage they are at in life. In addition, they also provide education, employment and care services for disabled children and adults across the country.

They are a campaigning organisation, committed to using their influence to ensure equal human and civil rights for disabled people.

www.capability-scotland.org.uk

ENABLE Scotland

Founded in 1954 by parents of children with learning disabilities, ENABLE Scotland is still run to ensure that people with learning disabilities have the same access to choices and opportunities as everyone else.

The charity regularly campaigns against discrimination and inequality as well as providing services to promote active community participation among those with a learning disability.

www.enable.org.uk

Inclusion Scotland

Inclusion Scotland is a consortium of different organisations of disabled individuals who, through a process of structured development aim to draw attention to the social, physical, economic and cultural barriers which affect disabled people in Scotland in their everyday lives.

They work to bring an understanding of those issues to the mainstream, looking beyond the social exclusion which many Scottish disabled people feel, to ways in which attitudes and practices can be changed for the better.

www.inclusionscotland.org

Lead Scotland

Specialists in linking disability, education and work to widen access to learning for disabled people and their carers, Lead Scotland operate right across the country.

They work at both national and local levels, providing information and advice on an array of post-school learning and training opportunities as well as working with the Scottish Government to affect change in policy development. At a local level they provide direct support to those looking to continue their learning with individual guidance and flexible learning.

www.lead.org.uk

MS Society Scotland

The MS Society is a UK-wide charity and their Scottish branch is the leading charity dedicated to beating Multiple Sclerosis in the country. They have identified that Scotland has one of the highest incidences of MS in the world and strive to make its care and treatment a priority at political level, as well as providing support to those living with the disease in their local areas.

www.mssocietyscotland.org.uk

Quarriers

Quarriers pride themselves on their at-home care, assisted living and self-directed support. They specialise in helping adults with a wide range of physical and intellectual disabilities and even offer an adult family placement service.

This small, but well established project has more than 25 years of experience in supporting adults with disabilities to live with families in a service often described as ‘shared lives’. Quarriers assess, supervise and support carers who want to provide a safe and caring home to individuals with disabilities.

www.quarriers.org.uk

Scottish Disability Equality Forum

SDEF is an organisation that promotes independent living for disabled people across Scotland; working to remove barriers to equality wherever they are found.

They work in conjunction with a number of organisations and the Scottish Government to affect policies which impact on how people live their day-to-day lives. They also regularly work with access panels to provide support and advice to disabled people within their local communities.

www.sdef.org.uk

Spinal Injuries Scotland

The organisation has evolved in its focus, from dealing purely with sport through to other aspects of living with a spinal cord injury.

Their remit includes education, advice and support for people with newly acquired spinal cord injuries and those who have been living with the effects for a long time. While they do not issue medical advice, they do offer support for friends, family and carers to help them through what can often be a difficult experience.

Spinal Injuries Scotland has developed further and now has a presence at outreach clinics held by the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit in Glasgow and also at outpatient clinics across the country.

www.sisonline.org

Thistle Foundation

The Thistle Foundation provides wide-ranging support services to disabled people and long term health conditions.

Through supported living, health and wellbeing programmes, and even lifestyle training and consultancy, the Thistle Foundation is committed to improving the lives of disabled people.

The charity runs lifestyle management courses, on subjects such as pain, where clients are able to better understand their own mindset and building coping strategies, week-by-week to increase wellbeing. 

www.thistle.org.uk


Enable Scotland – Helping people to make the life they want.

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Bobby went on holiday to Australia, Ciaran wants to study art in Glasgow. Heather wants to go ski-ing and get a place of her own. Sharon has joined her local choir and likes girly shopping trips to Glasgow.

For most of us, the ability to do most of these things is taken for granted. But for people in Scotland who have learning disabilities, they are only possible with lots of support.

ENABLE Scotland supports Bobby, Ciaran, Heather, Sharon and thousands of other folks across Scotland to live their dreams.

We work with them to discover what they want out of life, then help them achieve it by making the most of the support they get to live an independent life.

We even help them pick who they want to support them. Sharon said: “I got to interview people for my support team and even interviewed the new service manager at Lochgilphead. How cool is that!?”

And we campaign on their behalf to make life a bit better, from making bus passes available to people who have learning disabilities, to making sure government policy allows them the choice and control to live the lives they choose.

www.enable.org.uk