Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities

👀 What does supported employment look like in practice? At the end of 2024 SCLD welcomed Oliver to the team. This was the first time employing someone supported by a job coach and the experience has been a learning journey for everyone involved. Oliver’s line manager Lucy said “Supported employment is a learning process for me, for Oliver, and for SCLD. We don’t always get it right, but we try.” Hear more from both employee and employer in our case study and find out how #SupportedEmploymentWorks for us. 👉 https://zurl.co/4VyxW Values Into Action Scotland Scottish Union of Supported Employment

SCLD are proud to attend the Values Into Action Scotland #SupportedEmploymentWorks event, highlighting the benefits of supported employment. ✨ Today we've been sharing our experiences — including a brilliant chat between Oliver and Renfrewshire Councillor Janis McDonald about his role at SCLD. Great conversations and real impact! Find out more about the campaign 👉https://zurl.co/1D7lQ #SupportedEmploymentWorks Scottish Union of Supported Employment #LearningDisability

SAVE THE DATE! SCLD and PEOPLE FIRST (SCOTLAND) are delighted to invite you to attend the launch of our gender-based violence and learning disability self-assessment toolkit, Equally Safe and Supported. Equally Safe and Supported is a practical set of resources designed to support organisations to make their services accessible to women with learning disabilities who have experienced gender-based violence. When: Tuesday 24th June Time: 1pm Where: Online (Zoom) More details of the event, and how to register will be coming soon in the meantime please share with your networks. Delivering Equally Safe The Scottish Government Inspiring Scotland First Minister's National Advisory Council on Women and Girls #EquallySafeAndSupported

Congratulations to 8 Upmo students, who have graduated from the Our Future Leaders course, delivered by Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities and Inspiring Scotland 🎓 👏 During this 10-week course, students explored skills, attributes, and self-understanding that people need to live fulfilling lives, empowering them to participate in their communities as equal and valued citizens. As the course is normally delivered online, we teamed up with SCLD and Inspiring Scotland to trial running it in person - to great success! Students found that being together with friends encouraged them to speak openly and confidently. A huge thank you to SCLD and Inspiring Scotland for providing this meaningful opportunity, and to the staff and sponsors for their support. Well done to the students for their massive efforts! The Our Future Leaders graduates have told us what they now aim to achieve - watch this space to find out how the course has made a difference to their lives 💙 Video by: Inspiring Scotland Video Description: Footage from the Our Future Leaders graduation, showing introductory speakers, Upmo students receiving their certificates, guests applauding and students celebrating by throwing their graduation caps in the air.

Human Rights Intern Struan Hay reflects on his time with SCLD and his work on Supported Decision Making (SDM) “I have had my own perspectives on disability challenged and had the opportunity to reflect on my own past actions in the disability support space challenged and it has made aware of where I could do better. The SCLD and organisations like it in Scotland are fundamentally important to championing disability rights issues and putting those with lived experience at the head of everything they do. “ Read Struan’s blog in full: https://zurl.co/uLFOz

⚖️ Free Legal Services – Book Now! Need legal advice? Legal Services Agency offers free drop-in clinics for people with learning disabilities. 📅 Next session: Monday, 28 April ⌚ Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM Book your spot – Contact Lucy at SCLD: 📱 Call: 0141 248 3733 📧 Email: Lucy.g@scld.co.uk

📢 Making Workplaces More Inclusive It’s estimated that only 4-7% of people with learning disabilities are in paid employment in Scotland. The employment rate of neurodivergent individuals in the UK is much lower than the national average, with many often feeling excluded or isolated in the world of work. Join us at Holyrood Insight Neurodivergence in the Workplace Conference, chaired by Dr Simon Webster Simon Webster, Chief Executive of SCLD. Contributors will discuss how to: ✅ Make recruitment and onboarding more accessible ✅ Upskill your workforce to support neurodivergent colleagues ✅ Foster an inclusive workplace culture 📍 Venue: COSLA Conference Centre, Haymarket Yards, Edinburgh 📅 Date: 19 May 2024 | A full-day event with networking opportunities ♿ Accessibility: Equality Act compliant, with lift access and an induction loop system. This event is run by Holyrood Insights and costs £279 to £399 plus VAT per person. 🔗 Registration is at: https://zurl.co/44vZv

📝 SCLD’s latest report, led by our Human Rights Intern, Struan Hay BA(Hons) MSc, examines the legal context and cultural and practice issues impacting the development of supported decision making in Scotland. The report highlights that 🔎 People with learning disabilities report feeling more independent and empowered when they have greater choice and control and support to make decisions. ❌ Many people with learning disabilities have decisions made for them based on their perceived ‘best interests’ and the development of their decision-making skills may be overlooked. The report concludes that implementing supported decision making effectively may require changes not only to law and practice but also to how we view and value people with learning disabilities as a society. The Scottish Government has begun a programme of mental health and capacity law reform and is considering whether a national framework or approach for supported decision making is needed. The report says it is important that the development of any national strategy recognises that supported decision making is critical not only for the exercise of ‘legal capacity’ but also for enabling people with learning disabilities to realise the right to independent living in the community. It states that delivering these changes for Scotland will require strong leadership as well as significant and sustained resourcing at a national and local level. 📖 Read the full report: https://zurl.co/piqQA #HumanRights #LearningDisabilities #SupportedDecisionMaking

🚨 Think COULD – Supporting People with Learning Disabilities in Justice Services 🚨 Think COULD was designed to support people with a learning disability if they find themselves in contact with the justice system. It was developed by Learning Disability Queen’s Nurses in collaboration with Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland and funded by THE BURDETT TRUST FOR NURSING Watch the animation to see how justice services can better support individuals with learning disabilities. 📽️ Watch the animation to see how justice services can better support individuals with learning disabilities. YouTube (Think COULD) https://zurl.co/iVK6q 📌 Learn more: QNIS website https://zurl.co/SDQzH #ThinkCOULD #LearningDisability

🌳 Are Glasgow’s parks and greenspaces accessible and inclusive for everyone? A research project from the University of Leeds is exploring this important question. The study aims to explore how accessible green spaces in Glasgow are for different groups of people, including people with learning disabilities, their carers, family and friends when using greenspaces in Glasgow. Your insights will help contribute to meaningful improvements in the design and accessibility of greenspaces for all. 📝 Take the survey here:🔗https://zurl.co/Gilnz #AccessibleGreenspaces