The Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD) is looking for a new Chair of our Board of Trustees who can help lead our organisation into its next chapter. SCLD works to make Scotland a fairer place where people with learning disabilities live full, safe, loving and equal lives. As we approach our 25th anniversary, we are proud of …
Following the death of Margaret Fleming’s murderer, SCLD believes it is more important than ever that we remember Margaret, and, pivotally, that the significant learning from the Remember My Name review is not forgotten. In the wake of Remember My Name, a welfare check was built into the Annual Health Check for Adults with Learning Disabilities. This is an important …
Our Annual Review 2025–26 is now available! Over the past year, SCLD has continued working alongside people with learning disabilities and our partners to influence policy, champion human rights and drive positive change across Scotland. From improving access to Annual Health Checks and supporting independent living to strengthening participation and ensuring lived experience informs national decision-making, our review highlights the …
The Scottish Parliament has voted to ask the Scottish Government to bring back the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence (LDAN) Bill. The vote is not binding. This means the Scottish Government do not have to act on it. The vote was 60 votes in favour and 54 against. SCLD welcomes this decision. People with learning disabilities need support now. They …
Scotland’s proposed updates on restraint and seclusion bring stronger human rights language, better participation principles and a clearer focus on least-restrictive practice. That matters and the Code is a welcome step forward. But a good map is only useful if it shows where we are going. SCLD believes the Code needs a much clearer route towards preventing, progressively reducing and, …
National leadership is needed on learning disability Following yesterday’s Ministerial Statement, SCLD wants to see clear action for people with learning disabilities. People with Learning Disabilities deserve a national learning disability strategy, developed with them, and backed by clear outcomes, responsibilities, timescales and public reporting. They need clarity about funding: what is being invested specifically in learning disability, whether that …
We have been left deeply disheartened by the Scottish Government’s decision not to proceed with the Learning Disabilities, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill. In 2021, the Scottish Government committed to delivering meaningful change through this legislation. The Bill represented an important opportunity to protect rights, strengthen accountability and improve outcomes and experiences across health, education, employment and wider public services for …
Healthy Homes, Healthy Futures is an important reminder that our health is shaped not only in hospitals, GP surgeries or pharmacies, but in the places where we live our everyday lives. For people with learning disabilities, that connection is particularly important. A healthy home is about more than a safe, warm and accessible building. It is about having choice and …
Scottish Learning Disability Week returns from 7–13 September 2026, with people and organisations across Scotland coming together under this year’s theme, “I am here… to be seen.” Scottish Learning Disability Week celebrates the lives, talents and contributions of people with learning disabilities and calls for their voices to have real influence over the decisions that affect them. Coordinated by the …
We welcome the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government and its ambition to build public services around people, invest earlier to prevent harm, and strengthen Scotland’s human rights framework. The lives of people with learning disabilities can be improved through stronger rights protections, support for independent living, community-based support, tackling the root causes of violence against women and girls with learning …
