Highlighting Scotland’s leading role at home and abroad
At the Global Disability Summit in Berlin today, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart will highlight Scotland’s commitment that by 2030 at least half of Scotland’s international development funding will include a disability equality objective.
This will ensure that disabled people have improved access to programmes in Scotland’s partner countries Malawi and Zambia – for instance giving disabled women and girls access to quality education.
The Equalities Minister will also take part in events focusing on disability equality and inclusion as well as meet with relevant Ministers and interest groups.
Ms Stewart said: “Scotland has a growing reputation at home and abroad for the action it’s taking to reduce the barriers disabled people face.
“This is the first time Scotland has been invited in its own right to the Global Disability Summit and this is an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our culture of equality, particularly our focus on giving disabled people a voice in the decisions that affect them.
“Our work with our partner countries in Malawi and Zambia will be shared at the World Bank roundtable on inclusiveness in education. We will also highlight how Scotland is ensuring that marginalised groups, including disabled people, are at the heart of international climate action.
“However, I’m concerned that while the international picture is improving, the UK Government is going ahead with taking away disabled people’s benefits to balance the budget and plans to further reduce aid spending. We will continue to press them to reverse these damaging cuts.”
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart recently met with Sight Scotland’s Policy Group to discuss the importance of improving access and inclusion in Scotland’s venues. She stressed that everyone should have the freedom to enjoy life and visit places of their choice, such as theatres, cinemas, concert halls, galleries and attractions, without facing accessibility barriers.
Sight Scotland’s Policy Group, made up of blind and partially sighted members, released the ‘Enhancing Accessibility: Venues and Visual Impairment’ report last year. It highlights major accessibility issues in Scottish venues and calls for improvements to ensure equal access for all.
Using real experiences, the report identifies common barriers, including poor communication, inaccessible booking systems, lack of audio descriptions or touch tours, untrained staff, and design flaws like low colour contrast, missing tactile elements, and unclear signage. It also shares best practices to inspire venues to improve accessibility for visually impaired visitors.
Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart said: “I was delighted to discuss what actions we can take to strengthen accessibility standards for visual impairment with members of the Sight Scotland team and their policy group.
“Although it’s clear that many barriers remain, I was inspired to hear how blind and partially sighted people are working closely with Sight Scotland and range of other partners to deliver best practice building on the Accessible Venues Campaign and Report.
“Across government we’re working to embed equality and inclusion across all areas of life, including the arts and culture. One way we’re doing this is through All In – a new access scheme for creative and culture in the UK and Ireland.
“It’s being developed as a partnership between Creative Scotland and the arts councils of England, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales to improve access and remove barriers for deaf, disabled, neurodivergent and visually impaired people in creative and culture spaces.
“Although our power to legislate on equality is limited, we’re working to drive positive change for disabled people in Scotland including investing an additional £2 million to enhance our Disability Equality Plan.”
Sight Scotland Policy Group member, Amanda Whitfield, from Edinburgh, who was diagnosed with Stargardt disease in 2016, comments: “It was wonderful to welcome the Equalities Minister to our policy group and discuss with her the accessibility challenges that blind and partially sighted people face when trying to access venues.
“I absolutely love music and going to concerts, but booking tickets feels like an impossible task. Sight loss is an invisible disability, and it often feels like I’m being excluded from enjoying live music like everyone else.
“Everything is done online or digitally – from booking your ticket to even ordering drinks on the night. You can’t just speak to someone and explain your needs.
“Instead, you’re stuck in long virtual queues, forced to choose a seat from a visual plan, and often left to struggle with inaccessible websites that don’t support zooming or screen readers.
“It’s frustrating, disheartening, and it shouldn’t be this hard for people with vision impairment to enjoy live events.”
Craig Spalding, Chief Executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “We’re grateful to the Minister for meeting with our Policy Group and helping to highlight the daily accessibility challenges faced by people with vision impairment.
“Inaccessible venues exclude those with sight loss from arts and cultural events, increasing isolation and loneliness.
“Our Accessible Venues Report outlines key issues and calls for improvements such as a standardised booking system for accessible seats, audio descriptions, touch tours for all performances, and mandatory visual impairment awareness and sighted guide training for staff.
“Small changes can make a big difference to inclusivity.”
Download the Enhancing Accessibility: Venues and Visual Impairment report here:
Engagement to tackle gendered violence highlighted at start of 16 Days
More than 27,000 young people have benefited from education and awareness-raising sessions on tackling gender-based violence over six months, thanks to 45 grassroots organisations across Scotland.
The latest Delivering Equally Safe impact report, published by Inspiring Scotland, shows that the number of young people accessing sessions on issues including consent and gender equality through these organisations is increasing. The report also includes data on the number of people who have received frontline support, and the type of support provided.
The report publication comes as the global 16 Days of Activism campaign gets underway. To mark the start of the campaign, Equalities Minister Kaukab Stewart visited Monklands Women’s Aid in Airdrie to hear about their vital work to support women, children and young people.
Ms Stewart said: “Preventing violence against women and girls is key to creating a society where women and girls can live safely. I am proud to be supporting the 16 Days of Activism campaign to tackle and prevent violence against women and girls.
“Thanks to organisations supported by our Delivering Equally Safe fund, workshops supporting young people to understand consent, healthy relationships and the signs of abusive behaviour have reached more than 27,000 young people.
“In the two years since Delivering Equally Safe started, nearly 17,000 children and young people have engaged in frontline funded support.
“Among the organisations providing frontline support is Monklands Women’s Aid, whose work to address both traditional and emerging forms of violence against women and girls is vital and innovative.”
Monklands Women’s Aid Chairperson, Christine Buckel said: “Grassroots organisations like Monkland’s Women’s Aid are the backbone of community support for those facing the trauma of domestic abuse.
“Our integrated approach ensures women, children, and young people receive tailored support when they need it most. Most importantly, we listen to and respond to those we serve, ensuring that their voices shape the services that make a real difference in their lives.
“The Delivering Equally Safe programme fund provides vital funding that enabled the organisation to deliver frontline domestic abuse interventions to 1,571 people since October 2021.”
