Tag: information session

EDINBURGH residents have been invited to attend a campaign meeting hosted by ENABLE Scotland at 95 Causewayside, Newington on 9 November 2022 from 7pm to 9pm designed to inform the charity’s calls to the Scottish Government.

The event is designed to collate feedback and evidence from the community that will then go on to inform the charities proposals for the Bill based on real, lived experiences of the learning disability community.

Following a campaign from ENABLE Scotland members, the Scottish Government has announced that it will bring forward a new Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodiversity Bill (LDAN).  This is believed to be the first Bill of its kind, worldwide.

Local people in Edinburgh can attend the event to find out more information about the proposed LDAN Bill and feedback their thoughts, asks and concerns about the protection of human rights and their first-hand experiences of the failings and challenges relating to the current system and the associated laws.

ENABLE Scotland will take the feedback from the event to inform its campaigning around the Bill proposals ensuring that people living with learning disabilities, and their families, are at the heart of the new legislation.  

Jan Savage, Director of ENABLE Scotland said: “For too long, people who have a learning disability have been Scotland’s invisible people.  Subject to poor attitudes and persistently poor public services where they have to fight for their rights. 

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring forward legislation which secures people’s rights in law. It is so important that every voice of every person who has a learning disability is informing this process which is why we are inviting people with lived experience – as well as supporters from the local community in Edinburgh – to come along, hear about the plans for the Bill and have their say in what ENABLE Scotland will be asking of the Scottish Government.

“The work will not stop there.   We are committed to the community that support us in our campaign for the LDAN Bill and as such we will ensure regular updates, information on campaigning and actionable communications to MSP will be shared with our supporters as the Bill progresses through Scottish Parliament over the next two years.

“The Scottish Government have agreed that change is needed.  We will not get this chance again.  If you care about the human rights of people who have a learning disability and want to be part of a movement for change with other like-minded people – we want to meet you on 9 November 2022!”

The charity says that now is the time for change, citing evidence that – amongst other shocking stats – less than 7% of people who have a learning disability have a job, adults who have a learning disability in Scotland die 20 years younger than other adults and children with a learning disability are 12 times more likely to die from preventable illness than other children.

The LDAN Bill provides an opportunity to ensure that the rights of people with a learning disability are protected in law.  The Scottish Government has also said that it will create a new Commissioner to make sure that these rights are upheld.

The LDAN Bill is being proposed as a replacement for the current Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, that ENABLE Scotland believes does not go far enough in protecting the human rights of those in the learning-disabled community and a new Bill and set of laws is pertinent to the safeguarding of individuals in Scotland.

ENABLE has also launched a national survey for people to submit their views if they are unable to make it along to one of the local campaign meetings, please complete here.