Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities

“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 …

During my time at SCLD I undertook an extensive literature review with the initial focus being on supported decision making (SDM) practice and how we can encourage better practice in Scotland. While the initial plan was to focus solely on practice, after beginning my research I decided to expand this to examine legal and cultural perspectives as well so that …

SCLD’s latest report, led by our Human Rights Intern, Struan Hay, 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 …

In February, we partnered with The Global Leadership Exchange to host a webinar about the importance of leadership roles for people with learning disabilities.  SCLD Development Worker, Cameron and Include For Good Rapporteur, Rosie shared their experience of attending the GLE Conference 2024 in Utrecht, Netherlands. 

In February, SCLD submitted a report and gave oral evidence to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as part of their review of the UK’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural rights (ICESCR).  We provided detailed evidence of the significant barriers and challenges people with learning disabilities in Scotland experience in accessing their …

Hi! My name is Lewis Sherlock, and I joined the SCLD Team in January 2025. My background is in theatre-making and performance, with a focus on working alongside individuals with learning disabilities. Recently, I’ve embarked on studying Dramatherapy, which has really benefited my role at SCLD and my broader interests. I’m thrilled to bring creative, person-centred approaches to the team. …

The publication of the Scottish Human Rights Commission’s (SHRC) Tick Tock report is a watershed moment for people with learning disabilities in Scotland.  The report is unequivocal that no one in Scotland should be living in an institutional setting.  It provides strong recommendations and a human rights framework to accelerate and measure progress towards achieving deinstitutionalisation across all settings.  The …