COVID-19

Earlier this week, the Scottish Government announced a face mask exemption card for people with health conditions which make it difficult for them to wear a mask. You can read Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, Jeane Freeman’s letter outlining the plans here. We know that many people, even though they are exempt from wearing […]

BIHR Reports on the Impact of of the Government’s response to the Covid-19 for the human rights of people with care and support needs. The British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) has released research findings on the impact of the Government’s response to Covid-19 for people with care and support needs. This research, conducted with […]

Inclusion Scotland Report Highlights Disabled People’s Experiences during COVID-19 Inclusion Scotland have published a report on Disabled People’s experiences during COVID-19, based on a Survey of 822 disabled people accessing social care support across Scotland, during the current Coronavirus crisis. They found that Disabled people and their carers are under significant pressure because: Social care […]

SAMH Research on Impact of COVID-19 and Mental Health SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) has launched new research into the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on adults with mental health problems. The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically affected the way we have all lived our lives. These changes include fundamental changes to the way mental health care […]

    Scottish Government have now published COVID-19 guidance on Option 1 and Option 2 for Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships. This document will soon be accompanied by a series of FAQs aimed directly at those using Option 1 or 2. They will be available on the Social Work Scotland website here […]

On 7th May 2020, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell announced a new £5 million programme will offer an internet connection, training and support, and a laptop or tablet to vulnerable people who are not already online during the response to coronavirus (COVID-19). Full information about the ‘Connecting Scotland’ programme can be found here. This programme delivered […]

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, The UN have published guidance on the Rights of Disabled People. This guidence aims to do the following: bring awareness of the pandemic’s impact on persons with disabilities and their rights; draw attention to some promising practices already being undertaken around the world; identify key actions for States […]

    On April 27th 2020 Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee launched a COVID-19 Inquiry which seeks to identify the evidence that some groups of people are experiencing disproportionately negative impacts of the coronavirus, and by some of the measures taken to deal with it. This Inquiry is open for responses until January […]

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis the team at Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) has been conducting outreach to understand the impact that COVID-19, and resulting measures, are having on disabled people. So far this has included: letters and surveys to 5000+ disabled people; wellbeing phone calls to 1550; in-depth survey completed by 1177; and […]

    The SDS Collective have published a call for action to ensure that throughout these times of crisis the values and principles of Self-directed Support are maintained. Read the statement is full here.