Member News
May 21, 2026
After the election: will disabled people be heard?
Scottish Disability Sport head of policy Mark Gaffney has written an article reflecting on the important post-election opportunity to ensure inclusion becomes the de-facto position and that disabled people are prioritised, not relegated to an afterthought.
"How Scotland chooses to govern now will shape whether people with disabilities experience public life as something done with them—or something that continues to happen around them," Mark writes.
"Across sport, health, education, social security, and civic engagement, disabled people have been promised inclusion for decades. What they have instead often encountered is fragmented provision, and policies that sound progressive but fail in practice.
"A post‑election reset should recognise sport as a public health and human rights issue, not a discretionary extra. Investment must prioritise inclusive local clubs and infrastructure, accessible leisure centres (both physically and from an affordability perspective), and paid roles for disabled coaches and leaders. Disabled people should not be guests in Scotland’s sporting system; they should help run it."
