How is the SNP supporting people with disabilities?

The SNP is committed to tackling inequality for disabled people and ensuring that everyone has the chance to reach their potential.

We will bring forward world-leading human rights legislation to reduce inequality and advance the rights of everyone and ensure human rights are embedded in every aspect of life in Scotland. As part of this, we will incorporate into Scots Law the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

We will introduce an overarching Scottish Diversity and Inclusion Strategy covering the public sector, our educational institutions, justice system, transport and workplaces. This strategy will focus on the removal of institutional, cultural and financial barriers which lead to inequalities in relation to gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and social mobility.

We will increase and improve our data collection so that across all our policies we will be able to have a strong evidence base, gauge intersectional inequality, measure outcomes, and recommend improvements.

We will expand the specific duties that require a listed public authority to publish gender pay gap information to disability and ethnicity reporting and ensure these areas are included within their Equal Pay Statement.

We will establish a similar scheme to the new Minority Ethnic Leadership and Development Programme we have established with the John Smith Centre for disabled people to remove the barriers many disabled people face when it comes to leadership positions.

We will increase support to projects which are supporting disabled people and those from a minority ethnic background into positions on public boards to increase representation.

We will continue with our Access to Elected Office Fund which offers financial assistance to disabled people contesting the Scottish Parliament and Local Authority elections.