Scottish Labour MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy set for Inverness visit to promote parliament bill proposal aimed at improving the lives of young disabled people
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Scottish Labour’s Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP is visiting Inverness on Wednesday (August 31) to promote a parliamentary bill proposal aimed at improving the lives of young disabled people.
The Glasgow Regional member's Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill is currently progressing its way through the Scottish Parliament.
The meeting is one of a number of engagement events across the country designed to gather the views and experiences of young disabled people, their families and the organisations that support them on how the aims of the bill can help them.
It will be held at the Beaufort Hotel between 10.30 am and 12.30 pm.
The bill proposal has received support from 56 members of parliament across all five main political parties, as well as disabled people’s organisations including Inclusion Scotland and Camphill Scotland, who have worked tirelessly on disability rights for years.
Proposals seek to "improve outcomes for young disabled people by requiring the Scottish Government to introduce and implement a National Transitions Strategy" and calls for the introduction of a minister with special responsibility for transitions.
At present, every child is entitled to a child’s plan, but there are no further statutory requirements in place to support disabled children and young people. As a result, this Transition period can be challenging, and tends to lead to poorer outcomes.
Pam Duncan-Glancy MSP said: “Young disabled people deserve a fighting chance at a future, at right now they’re not getting that. This Bill is a key piece of legislation that will provide them with a statutory right to support from the age of 14 at the latest, into adulthood. For too long, young disabled people have been let down by Government, but this Bill can put things right.
“These sessions will allow an open and honest discussion on transitional support and outline the real-life experiences of disabled peoples’ transitions, and what a Bill to provide a right to statutory support to those people would look like
“I hope they will empower young disabled people to get together, discuss what is wrong with the current system and to encourage their own MSPs to support the bill.
“Disabled young people have been disadvantaged for far too long. It is about time we made tangible, long lasting differences to their lives, and I am determined to ensure that disabled people themselves are involved in this process – so that they can drive the change they want to see, and they deserve.”
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said: “This is an important piece of legislation that has my full support. It’s also fantastic to see my colleague and friend Pam Duncan-Glancy come to Inverness to hear the views of those who would be directly affected by it”.
“Disabled people generally face more challenges when it comes to employability, education, housing, and stigmatisation. It’s important and necessary that we face those challenges head on and provide support to children and young people should they require it as they progress through
