Being seen means having power

• Written by: Bruce Adamson — Scottish Commission for Learning Disability (SCLD) — Chief Executive Officer
• Published: 7th September 2026

To mark Scottish Learning Disability Week (7 - 13 September), Bruce Adamson reflects on this year's call to action.

The theme for this year’s Scottish Learning Disability Week is “I am here… to be seen.”

It builds on last year’s “I am here” but adds something important. People with learning disabilities have the right to participate in their communities and influence decisions which affect them. It is up to institutions to remove the barriers that get in the way and provide the support that makes meaningful participation possible.

This isn’t an act of charity. Decisions are better when they are based on the knowledge and experience of the people affected by them. Participation gives people greater autonomy, choice and control. It also helps us get things right earlier, rather than relying on expensive crisis responses which seldom deliver good outcomes. The consequences when we get things wrong are stark. Research last year from the Scottish Learning Disabilities Observatory showed adults with learning disabilities were dying, on average, 15 years younger than other adults. Adults aged 25–34 with learning disabilities were six times more likely to die prematurely and nine times more likely to die from treatable causes.

“We shouldn’t have to fight for our lives to be the same length as everybody else.” — Include For Good Rapporteur

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) protects everyone’s right to the highest attainable standard of health, without discrimination. Annual Health Checks are one practical way of making that right real. SCLD’s Involvement Network brings people with learning disabilities, families and professionals together to improve how they work. There has been progress, but around 65% of people identified as eligible were still not offered a health check in 2025/26. There are equally serious challenges around the right to live independently and be included in the community. Too many people remain in hospital or inappropriate placements because the housing and support they need are not available. The new Coming Home Action Plan provides an opportunity to change that. Its Lived Experience Hub must ensure people themselves have real influence over implementation.

“I was devastated to have to stay in hospital. The planning needed to start before they decided I was fit to go home.” — Include For Good Rapporteur

Being seen also means recognising experiences which have too often been hidden. Women and girls with learning disabilities face additional risks of gender-based violence and barriers to support and justice. Work with women with lived experience through delivering Equally Safe shows what needs to change. One of the key messages from women and girls with learning disabilities who have experienced Gender Based Violence that the rights to freedom from violence and abuse and equal access to justice must work in practice.

“We will not be hidden anymore!”— ‘Unequal, Unheard, Unjust: But not Hidden Anymore. Women with Learning Disabilities’ Experience of Gender Based Violence in Scotland’

Parents with learning disabilities can similarly face inaccessible systems and assumptions about their abilities. The UNCRPD protects family life. That is why SCLD’s work to refresh Scotland’s good-practice guidance starts from the rights of parents and children and the importance of providing support early. Human rights are also about much more than services. People with learning disabilities have the right to participate in cultural life. Work with Museums Galleries Scotland and V&A Dundee is exploring what genuine co-design of cultural spaces looks like.

“We want people to see us for the talents that we have and the things that we have achieved, not to focus on our disabilities. And more than anything we just want people to stop excluding us.” — Include For Good Rapporteur

That captures what Scottish Learning Disability Week is about. UNCRPD guarantees disabled people to be actively involved in decisions affecting them. Not consulted once the important decisions have been made. Actively involved. Scotland has shown through UNCRC incorporation that international human rights can become domestic legal duties. We need the same ambition for the UNCRPD.

“I am here… to be seen” is a call to action. Being seen is the starting point. Being heard, having choices and being able to challenge those with power is how rights become real.

“Holding others accountable puts us in the driving seat, not passengers sitting quietly in the back.” — Include For Good Rapporteur

Find out you can get involved in Scottish Learning Disability Week at www.scotldweek.com

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