Michael McEwan    

"Our right to exist in the same world as non-disabled people shouldn’t be up for debate" By Michael McEwan // BBC The Social Contributor // 8 April 2021

BBC Scotland is entrusted with producing and broadcasting programmes which are particularly relevant to the distinctive culture of Scotland.

healthandcare.scot is a platform for sharing news, perspectives and best practice across Scotland's health and social care community.

Lee Ridley AKA Lost Voice Guy can't talk but isn't silent. He is (probably) the first stand up comedian to use a communication aid. He won the BBC New Comedy Award 2014. - See more at: http://lostvoiceguy.com/who-is-this-guy/#sthash.QJwvyyj0.dpuf

Jamie MacDonald is a gigging stand-up comedian, writer and voice over artist, living and working in Edinburgh. In 2013 he wrote and performed his first stand up Fringe show - That Funny Blind Guy which went so well he got a 4* review. This launched him onto the Scottish Comedy circuit and in August 2014, he returned to fringe for his second show That Funny Blind Guy 2 , which went even better picking up threes 4* review plus loads of press. He was also invited onto Myrven Stutter's Pick of the Fringe show.

Bobath Scotland is a Scottish charity devoted to improving the quality of life for children and adults with cerebral palsy. We achieve this through providing specialist therapy at our Glasgow-based Therapy Centre, supporting both the individual and their family in a relaxed, non-clinical and fun environment. The Bobath approach enhances an individual's mobility, communication and independent living skills and thus their everyday quality of life. We offer a specialist knowledge base to analyse the individual's skills and suggest ways of enhancing their abilities. Everyone involved in the care and development of each person is invited to therapy sessions - including parents and siblings, grandparents, friends, local therapists, teachers and nursery assistants - ensuring the aims for each individual are co-ordinated and realistic to their own environments.

Capability Scotland campaigns with, and provides education, employment and care services for, disabled children and adults across Scotland. We work with disabled people, their families and carers to provide a mix of services that meet their aspirations at all stages of their lives. We are also a campaigning organisation, committed to using our strong influence to ensure disabled people achieve the same human and civil rights as the rest of society.

We believe in the strength of community. We also believe that we all need support at different times in our lives and with the right kind of support all of us can flourish and be full and active citizens. We want to remain a small local organisation in order to keep the focus on the people we work for and their connection with their community.

Previously known as Update, the organisation re-branded in 2015 to ensure that their purpose was clear and easily understood to all. Disability Information Scotland helps to guide people through the maze of disability information. They offer information via: a telephone helpline ; text and email services ; website ; online directory ; and a range of information guides and other resources. They work with disabled people, their families, friends, carers and people who work in the sector.

ENABLE Scotland is a dynamic charity run by its members. We campaign for a better life for children and adults with learning disabilities. We support people who have learning disabilities and their families to live, work and take part in their communities. We provide a growing range of person centred services designed to be flexible and adapt to the needs of the people using these services. We make sure that children and adults with learning disabilities and their carers are at the heart of everything that we do.

Euan’s Guide is the disabled access review website that aims to ‘remove the fear of the unknown’ and inspire people to try new places. The website was founded in 2013 by brother and sister, Euan and Kiki MacDonald, after Euan became a powerchair user. After spending hours of their time making enquiries about access at places they wanted to go, the duo realised that they could not be alone in their search for disabled access information. This idea became Euan’s Guide, a digital charity that is helping to open up towns and cities to disabled people everywhere.

Our aim is to support the development of a sustainable system of self-directed support in Scotland where people are in control of and able to direct the – how, when, in what way and by whom – they are supported.

The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) is a charitable company with a mission to: promote positive outcomes for the people who use Scotlands social services by enhancing the capacity and capability of the social services workforce to access and make use of knowledge and research for service innovation and improvement.

Project Ability is a Glasgow-based visual arts organisation with an international reputation for excellence. We create opportunities for people with disabilities and people with mental health issues, aged 5 years to 80 plus, to express themselves and achieve artistic excellence. Over three hundred people each week take part in our year round programme of workshops, events and exhibitions which are held in our centre in Trongate 103 and in community venues throughout the city. We work in partnership with people with disabilities and their support agencies across the UK and develop local, national and international arts projects, creating opportunities for people to network, share their practice and exhibit their work.

The Scottish Commision for Learning Disability is a charity that is made up of 12 Partner Organisations who have joined together with funding from the Scottish Government to help people make the changes set out in 'The same as you?' We are a charity and an independent company

SDS is the Scottish governing and co-coordinating body of all sports for people of all ages and abilities with a physical, sensory or learning disability. SDS has the vision of leading the development of sport and physical recreation for disabled people in Scotland and contributing to UK and international initiatives. SDS has published a national strategy which will direct the work of the Association through to London 2012 and beyond. SDS lists its major partners as sportscotland, Scotland's Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Authorities plus Voluntary Organsitions concerned with disability. SDS has 16 branches covering most of Scotland, reaching from the Highland area in the north to the Scottish Borders and Dumfries and Galloway in the south. SDS has a small team of dedicated staff and is enormously proud of the quality and quantity of volunteers and athlete members who play a major part in the running of the Association. SDS members have featured prominently in GB teams that have been hugely successful at the past six Summer Paralympic Games. At the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Torino, four Scottish curlers in the GB wheelchair curling team returned to Scotland with four silver Paralympic medals. SDS awaits the announcement of the GB team for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games and hopefully Scottish athletes with a disability will not only feature within the team but make a significant contribution to the number of medals won by Team GB.

We promote the rights & equality of people with learning difficulties & individuals on the autistic spectrum

Partners for Inclusion Group story so far Partners for Inclusion was established as an independent charity in 2004 providing tailormade support for people who have a learning or mental health difficulty, or both. Before Self-directed Support became a requirement, Partners was one of a small number of organisations that was already putting people in control of their own lives. We supported many people who in the past were described as ‘challenging’, or who had a long history of being excluded and not had a chance to live an ordinary life.