Policy and Participation

Inclusion Scotland’s policy and participation work ensures that decision-makers understand what matters to disabled people – and what needs to change to remove barriers to equality. We work to ensure disabled people’s lived experience directly informs legislation, public policy and systemic reform across Scotland.

Our approach is rooted in participation. Disabled people are not consulted as an afterthought – they are involved in shaping ideas, influencing decisions and holding systems to account. By centering lived experience, we help create policies that reflect real lives and lead to meaningful, lasting change.

We use evidence, research and disabled people’s voices to influence national and local policy. Our work focuses on key areas that affect everyday life, including rights, social care, housing, employment and climate action. We engage with the Scottish Government, Parliament, public bodies and partners to ensure disabled people’s rights and perspectives are embedded from the start.

Through consultation responses, policy briefings, working groups and advisory roles, we support disabled people to participate directly in policy processes – strengthening democratic decision-making and improving outcomes for communities across Scotland.

Policy change is not just about individual issues – it is about transforming systems so they work for disabled people as equal citizens. Guided by the Social Model of Disability, our policy work focuses on removing structural and systemic barriers, challenging inequality and promoting inclusion at every level of society.

By connecting lived experience to decision-making, Inclusion Scotland helps build fairer policies, stronger participation and a Scotland where disabled people’s rights are recognised, respected and realised.

Our Manifesto for Inclusion sets out the 7 key priorities that disabled people and Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) across Scotland have identified as essential for equality and justice.

We are calling on all candidates and parties in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election to protect disabled people’s human rights, reverse damaging policies that have deepened our exclusion, and commit to new policies that will secure our full inclusion in society.

Disabled people in Scotland demand our rights to:

• Independent living
• An adequate standard of living
• To be involved
• Education and employment
• Climate justice
• Accessible communities
• Human rights protection

Read our full Manifesto and explore the associated briefings below to see how we can achieve real change together.