Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had the joy of celebrating our Interim Chief Executive, Linda Mitchell, as she steps into a very well-earned retirement. There was plenty of warmth, laughter, and a few happy tears as we looked back on her 10 wonderful years with SCLD. From the RSA Fellowships to the Scottish Learning Disability Awards and the IASSID Conference and everything in between – Linda …
Rights. Equality. Inclusion. sets out SCLD’s priorities for building a Scotland where everyone with a learning disability can live a full, safe, loving, and equal life. Our priorities are evidence-based and have been shaped by people with learning disabilities, their families and the organisations that support them. We have identified four key areas we think will make the biggest difference in addressing the long-standing inequalities and discrimination people with learning disabilities experience: Human rights and law reform to tackle …
Hi! My name is Rachel and I’m SCLD’s Administration and Compliance Officer. Having only started this role last month, I am learning the ways of my role here at SCLD, supporting the team with their projects and leading my own tasks. The team at SCLD are very lovely, and I feel very welcomed to the team. When I spotted …
The historic policy of institutionalisation kept many people with learning disabilities on the margins of society. It isolated them from family and denied them everyday opportunities to participate in community life. In many cases, they were left vulnerable to neglect and abuse. Thankfully, the last 25 years have seen huge change: most people with learning disabilities now live in the …
For Scottish Housing Day, The Life I Want have written a blog to highlight our forthcoming work with Housing Associations to support inclusion and community participation of tenants with learning disabilities. The Life I Want is a member of SCLD’s Housing and Independent Living Group which is working to advocate for the right to adequate housing and independent living in …
When we think about what it means to live a good life, most of us imagine having a safe, secure place to call home. Yet, for many people with learning disabilities in Scotland, finding the right kind of housing – where they feel safe, can make choices, and live independently – remains a significant challenge. That’s where Housing Options Scotland …
“Over the past year, the project has shown how powerful co-production and lived experience can be in making real change. Together we’ve built a toolkit that helps services be more inclusive, fair, and accessible for women with learning disabilities facing gender-based violence. And word spread fast! It’s clear there’s real energy and interest in getting this right!” (Quote from People …
The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) has today confirmed that its Chief Executive, Dr Simon Webster, has decided to move on from SCLD at the end of this month (May 2025). Confirming the Chief Executive’s departure, Eddie McConnell, Chair of the Board of SCLD, said: “We are immensely grateful to Simon for the contribution he has made …
At CSE Aware we work to increase awareness of commercial sexual exploitation and support frontline staff to become more confident in responding to affected women. Like any form of abuse, commercial sexual exploitation, or CSE for short, can happen to any woman. CSE is when a person (usually a man) offers another person (very often a woman) some form of …
In late 2024, the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities advertised for the role of Admin Assistant. This was a newly created role to help the admin team. SCLD interviewed 6 people for the position and offered the role to Oliver Kennedy. Oliver happened to be a part of VIA’s Supported Employment program. SCLD has staff who have come …
