Meeting of the Parliament 02 December 2025
I am honoured to open this members’ business debate, which provides an opportunity for members to come together to mark the international day of disabled people, which takes place tomorrow, 3 December. I welcome members’ support for the motion and I look forward to hearing all the contributions.
The international day of disabled people is a global day of observance that was first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992 to promote the rights and wellbeing of disabled people across all aspects of life. Since then, significant progress has been made, with many countries bringing positive changes through laws, policies and actions in numerous areas, including accessibility in public spaces, public transport and buildings; enhanced digital accessibility; inclusive education and workplace practices; and greater representation of disabled people in public life—including among legislators—recognising that there should be nothing about disabled people without disabled people.
On that last point, I should say that, while I may be the first permanent wheelchair user elected to this place, it is incumbent on me and on us all to ensure that I am not the last. One way in which we in the chamber can ensure that is to empower the next generation of disabled people and—as the theme for this year’s international day says—to foster disability-inclusive societies for advancing social progress.
In our own way, in the chamber and in Scotland, we have advanced social progress during the current session of Parliament. One way in which we have done that is that, for the first time ever, the Presiding Officer, on behalf of Parliament, hosted a summit for disabled people to mark international day. I thank her for that leadership.
Today, our Parliament has announced that we will do that again, this time with a future focus. Next year’s summit will provide an opportunity for disabled people to set out what action they want to be taken in the next session of Parliament. The summit will be held on 21 February and, in order to keep it future focused, while a group of cross-party MSPs will co-chair each session, those sessions will be jointly co-chaired with young disabled people from across Scotland—young leaders who do incredible work.
Those young people have joined us tonight in the public gallery. To them, I say this: I welcome you to your Parliament. When I was your age, the idea that this place could be for people like us felt like a pipe dream, yet here I am—here we are. This place is for you; this place is for people like us.
However, while there is much to celebrate—and celebrate we will—there is much still to do. Significant challenges remain. Tens of thousands of people continue to face barriers across every aspect of life—in employment, education, transport and access to public services.
In 2024, only 51 per cent of disabled people—that is just over half—were in employment, in comparison with 83 per cent of non-disabled people. Being locked out of work does not happen overnight; it is the consequence of being presented with systemic barriers over a lifetime. While some disabled people are unable to work, we know that, with the right support and structures in place, many can thrive in—and want to be in—the workplace and can contribute significantly to Scotland, our communities and our economy.
Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living’s equality academy is an incredible example of helping to make that happen. The organisation, which is in my region of Glasgow, runs an internship programme that provides placements for disabled graduates, mainly in the national health service in Scotland. The programme supports disabled people to unlock their potential and has an 88 per cent success rate for getting people into employment. I challenge anyone in government to show us a programme that replicates that level of success, and I would welcome to Glasgow any member who wants to see it in action.
The employment gap must close, but in order for that to happen, we need action not only in employability but in other areas such as education. While many people, including me, support the presumption of mainstreaming, the reality is that the policy is not being implemented as intended, and that is leaving young people in school without the support that they need. We cannot let that go on—we must restore support, and thus restore faith, in mainstream provision to deliver the ambition of inclusion in deeds, not just in words.
There are also barriers in getting to work or school, or indeed anywhere at all. For so many disabled people, that can be really difficult. Glasgow’s subway, for example, remains largely inaccessible. My husband and I cannot travel together by bus, because most services accommodate only one wheelchair, which I think could be a bit of a policy choice rather than a design choice, given the contrast with some other countries, where more than one person in a wheelchair can travel. When disabled people try to use accessible taxis to get around, we face long waits because there are very few taxis available, as a result of some policy decisions that can make it difficult for taxi drivers to remain in business. Many buildings remain inaccessible and—worryingly—some accessible toilets are still frequently kept locked to the public, leaving disabled people having to find someone and ask permission to use the toilet.
As we know, thousands of disabled people are stuck on social care and NHS waiting lists. That includes those with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, which affect around 1.7 million people in Scotland. Those conditions are among the biggest causes of persistent pain, disability and working days lost, and will remain so over the next 20 years, yet essential forms of healthcare such as hip and knee replacements account for nearly a third of all waits for planned operations, and there is no discernible plan that is dedicated to addressing this. The cross-party group on arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions is working hard to address that.
It is clear that there is still a long way to go to ensure that disabled people are able to realise our human rights, but—I say to you, Presiding Officer; to colleagues; and to friends and visitors in the gallery—that I have hope, for three reasons. First, I have hope because there are the disabled people’s organisations, advocacy groups and charities across Scotland that campaign for equality and human rights. I say to them: thank you—the impact of your work cannot be overestimated.
I will take a moment to mention a giant of that movement, Etienne d’Aboville, whom we lost in October. Etienne was a force of nature: a passionate and diligent campaigner who changed my life and that of thousands of others. I, and many others, miss him.
Secondly, I have hope because there are incredible disabled people in Scotland, who are innovative by design—for some, even just getting out of bed needs innovation. It will be that innovation that delivers our emancipation.
Lastly, I have hope because—as this year’s theme highlights—when societies work together and remove barriers and create equal opportunities, everyone benefits. That is demonstrated by the tremendous contribution that disabled people make to Scotland—to our communities, our economy, our culture and our public life, every day—and it is embodied in the work that they do.
For that, and because I believe that we all feel the weight of responsibility to leave the world a better place, I believe that we can, and will, advance social progress for disabled people, together.