Disability Rights Commission Disability in Scotland A Baseline Study Sheila Riddell and Pauline Banks A report prepared for the Disability Rights Commission Scotland Office by the Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research, University of Glasgow, June 2001 The Disability Rights Commission The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) is an independent body, established by Act of Parliament to eliminate the discrimination faced by disabled people and promote equality of opportunity. When disabled people participate - as citizens, customers and employees - everyone benefits. So we have set ourselves the goal of “a society where all disabled people can participate fully as equal citizens”. We work with disabled people and their organisations, the business community, Government and public sector agencies to achieve practical solutions that are effective for employers, service providers and disabled people alike. There are roughly 8.5 million disabled people in Britain - one in seven of the population. This covers people with epilepsy, cancer, schizophrenia, Down’s syndrome and many other types of impairment. Under the Disability Discrimination Act (1995), many legal rights and obligations affecting disabled people’s access to services and employment are already in force. Others become law in 2004. Many people are still not aware that they have many new rights. And employers and service providers are often unsure how to implement “best practice” to make it easier for disabled people to use their services or gain employment. The DRC has offices in England, Scotland and Wales. We are here to assist and advise through our Helpline, Disability Conciliation Service, the Casework, Legal, and Practice Development Teams, publications, research and policy work. Disability in Scotland A Baseline Study Sheila Riddell and Pauline Banks Copyright (c) 2001 Disability Rights Commission Printed and bound by The James Harrop Printing Company, Glasgow The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Disability Rights Commission. Produced for the Disability Rights Commission Scotland Office by Strathclyde Centre for Disability Research Department of Social Policy and Social Work University of Glasgow Adam Smith Building Glasgow G12 8RT Tel: 0141 330 4545 Fax: 0141 330 3919 http://www.gla.ac.uk/centres/disabilityresearch/ Acknowledgements Sheila Riddell and Pauline Banks would like to acknowledge the advice and help given by the following people in producing this baseline study: Andrew Reid, Sue Warner, Jim Elder-Woodward, Margaret Whoriskey, Anne Marshall, Charlotte Pearson, Deborah Hopkins, Sally Witcher, Geraint Hughes, Adam Gaines, Lynn Welsh, Nick Watson, Graham Atherton, Wladyslaw Mejka and Alastair Wilson. In particular, we would like to thank Jean McPartland for producing the manuscript and, as ever, remaining calm as deadlines approached. ii Disability in Scotland Contents Page Number Acknowledgements ii List of Tables iv List of Figures v Abbreviations vi Foreword viii 1: Introduction 1 2: Disabled People and Education 15 3: Disabled People and Employment 37 4: Disabled People and Health and Social Care 57 5: Disabled People and Housing 87 6: Disabled People and Transport 105 7: Disabled People and Access to Goods and Services 112 8: Conclusion 117 9. References 125 iii A Baseline Study List of Tables 1.1 Responsibilities of the UK and Scottish Parliaments 4 2.1 Number and percentage of pupils with Records of Needs and special educational needs in Scottish education authorities 22 2.2 Number and % of pupils at special schools in Scotland by funding authority and % of special school pupils with Records of Needs 25 2.3 Number of pupils at special schools in Scotland by funding authority and gender 27 2.4 HE students in higher education institutions in Scotland 1998-99 by disability and level of study 28 2.5 HE students in higher education institutions in Scotland 1998-99 by institution and disability 30 2.6 Students in higher education in HEIs 1998-99 by disability and gender 31 2.7 HE students in HEIs in Scotland 1998-99 by Disabled Students’ Allowance and level of study 31 2.8 HE students in HEIs in Scotland 1998-99 by Disabled Students’ Allowance and gender 32 3.1 Economic activity of working age people by gender according to different definitions of disability: Scotland 1999 47 3.2 Recipients of disability benefits in Scotland, 2000 49 4.1 Number of day centres for people with mental health problems, number of places, and people attending 1985-1998 77 4.2 Number of local authority, private, and voluntary residential care homes for people with mental health problems, number of beds, and number of residents 1985-1999 77 4.3 Bed availability and psychiatric speciality 1985-1999 79 4.4 Age breakdown of patients in mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units at 31st March 1985-1999 80 5.1 Housing for disabled people: provision by public agencies and housing associations as at 31st March 1999: by agency 93 5.2 Housing for elderly and disabled people by Scottish authority 1997 95&96 6.1 Transport provision for physically disabled people travelling by bus in Scotland, 1998 108 6.2 Transport provision for physically disabled people at railway stations in Scotland, 1999 108 7.1 Convenience of various services by disability status, Scotland 1999 113 iv Disability in Scotland List of Figures 1.1 Disabled people in particular age groups expressed as percentage 12 1.2 Working age population of disabled people by sex, Scotland 1999 13 2.1 Pupils with Records of Needs in mainstream and special schools (%) in Scottish education authorities by educating authority 24 2.2 Main impairment of pupils with a Record of Needs by gender (numbers) 26 3.1 Disabled people of working age in the labour market, Scotland 1999 44 3.2 Employment rate of men of working age population by disability status, Scotland 1999 45 3.3 Employment rate of women of working age population by disability status, Scotland 1999 46 3.4 Income for households with a disabled person living in them, Scotland 1999 50 3.5 Income for households without a disabled person living with them, Scotland 1999 50 4.1 Standardised mortality ratio for selected causes by administrative area, Scotland. (1999 Health in Scotland) 70 4.2 Number of patients admitted to hospital with a principal diagnosis of stroke by gender and year 71 4.3 Stroke: standardised mortality ratios (SMR) by deprivation category and age group (1994-98 based; ISD) 72 4.4 Incidence of stroke in the 45-64 age group (patients) by health board (1997-98; ISD) 73 4.5 Mental health: GP contacts (rate per 1,000 population) by deprivation category in Scotland, year ending March 2000 76 4.6 Number and age of long stay residents in homes for people with mental health problems 1985-1999 (frequency) 79 5.1 Housing tenure patterns in Scotland and England 88 5.2 Disabled people and tenure patterns in Britain 88 5.3 Home ownership in Great Britain and Scotland for total population and disabled people 88 5.4 Type of adaptations present and desired 97 6.1 Activities found difficult by age group 109 v A Baseline Study Abbreviations AHT Acute Hospital Trust CMR Continuous Morbidity Recording CoSLA Convention of Scottish Local Authorities DDA Disability Discrimination Act DEA Disability Employment Adviser DETR Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions DfE Department for Education DfEE Department for Education and Employment DoH Department of Health DPTAC Disabled Person’s Transport Advisory Committee DRC Disability Rights Commission DRTF Disability Rights Task Force DSA Disabled Student’s Allowance DSS Department of Social Security EA Education Authority ES Employment Service GB Great Britain GP General Practitioner HEI Higher Education Institution HESA Higher Education Statistics Agency HIA Health Impact Assessment HIP Health Improvement Programme IB Incapacity Benefit ILO International Labour Organisation ISD Information and Statistics Division LEA Local Education Authority LEC Local Enterprise Company NASiS National Health Service in Scotland NDDP New Deal for Disabled People NHS National Health Service PA Personal Adviser PAYE Pay as You Earn PCT Primary Care Trust RSAMD Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama RTP Residential Training Provider SEHD Scottish Executive Health Department vi Disability in Scotland SEN Special Educational Needs SHAS Scottish Health Advisory Service SMR Standardised Mortality Ration SOIED Scottish Office Education and Industry Department SWSI Social Work Services Inspectorate UK United Kingdom vii A Baseline Study Foreword This research report was commissioned by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) Scotland Office as a major step towards highlighting the needs and rights of disabled people in Scotland. This work builds on much of the progress that has been made on raising awareness of disability issues, particularly since the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed. With the establishment of the DRC we now have a new force to raise the debate on matters of concern for disabled people. The DRC exists to eliminate discrimination against disabled people and promote equality of opportunity. One of the functions of the DRC is to carry out research to inform discussion and policy-making and this report is aimed at contributing to knowledge in this area. Until now there has been no comprehensive overview of the picture of disability in Scotland and it was essential that this gap was filled. Our aim is that this research should be of value to all concerned with disability issues including disabled people; the Scottish Executive; academics and researchers; research funders; policymakers at local, regional, Scotland and UK level; MSPs and MPs. There are a number of people I would like to thank, in particular Sheila Riddell and Pauline Banks for their hard work in compiling this report with a very tight deadline. I’d also like to thank Sally Witcher for her work managing the project and members of the advisory group - Jim Elder-Woodward, Andrew Reid, Sue Warner and Margaret Whoriskey.