Hansard

I also thank Johann Lamont for bringing this debate to the chamber, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to contribute.

Down’s syndrome is discussed as a disability. First, I want to highlight again that the word “disability” is a misnomer. Time and again, we are reminded of the contribution to our society that the so-called disability community make. For example, just last week we lost one of the greatest minds of our time in Professor Stephen Hawking, who no one could deny has had an astonishing impact on our understanding of physics, cosmology and our universe, no less. The winter Paralympics have just concluded, with athletes, including ones from these shores, performing at the highest level of physical and mental ability—ability that has been on show for all of us to marvel at. I have also been lucky enough to have coached athletes in Paralympic sport and the special Olympics—indeed, I still do—as well as so-called able-bodied athletes. They all train together in squad sessions, although there are individual nuances, because every athlete who I have ever coached is an individual with individual traits and abilities. Therefore, I respectfully suggest that we talk about “ability” not “disability”.

That gives me the opportunity to discuss local Ayrshire heroine Fiona Dawson, a young woman with Down’s syndrome. She is often seen by the side of the Prestwick swimming pool, where she volunteers as a swimming coach for children and adults. Fiona is a member of team GB’s Paralympic team and has travelled the world in pursuit of sporting excellence. She also works part time in an office and a shop, which means that, as was highlighted by Johann Lamont, she is in a minority, as only around 5 per cent of adults with learning disabilities are in paid employment.

It is entirely appropriate that, in Down’s syndrome awareness week, we take the opportunity to highlight that anomaly. Part of the issue is that employers are unaware that support might be available for them if they employ people who have specific needs. In that regard, Jeremy Balfour and I were invited to deliver a workshop in East Ayrshire to local employers that highlighted the many benefits of having a workforce that reflects society and the fact that someone’s having a so-called disability does not detract from their ability in the workplace. It was obvious that many employers in the room had a view of the disability workforce that was contrary to reality. I commend my colleague Jeremy Balfour for effectively changing the perception of many people in that room.

Fiona Dawson has spoken of her experiences, saying that the public are terrified of disability in general. She says that it is a label, and that it is hard for the public to find the person behind the label. That is what we are helping to tackle today in the chamber, and I would suggest that it is why this debate is so important. We need to show potential employers and the general public at large that we are all different and that we all have abilities and disabilities, some visible and some not. The ability to work and support oneself—which Johann Lamont highlighted—speaks to confidence, resilience and self-belief in every walk of life, and it is incumbent on us in this place to do all that we can to ensure that inclusion means exactly that and that any barriers, real or perceived, are removed.

I know that, now that she has qualified, Fiona Dawson would like to follow her voluntary work as a swim coach with a position that affords her a paid coaching position. She has an obvious talent that should be deployed to the best of her ability to the benefit of society as a whole.

I will end where I started by stating that the discussion should always be about ability, not disability. We owe it to the around 750 babies a year who are born with Down’s syndrome, just as we owe it to every other person, to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to explore their talents and passions to the very best of their abilities and to make the contribution to society that they surely can.