Key facts about Capability Scotland

• Capability Scotland is one of  Scotland's leading disability organisations.  We provide a broad range of services to people of all ages throughout Scotland.
  
  
• Capability Scotland was established in 1946 by a group of parents and professionals.  Our first service was Westerlea School in Edinburgh.
  
  
• We were known as the Scottish Council for spastics until 1996 when we relaunched as Capability Scotland. We won a Scottish Marketing award for our corporate identity change.
  
  
• Capability Scotland is governed by a voluntary board of up to 12 trustees, 40% of whom are disabled people. 
  
  
• Our turnover for the year ended 31st of March 2006 was £26,929,713.
  
  
• We employ over 1300 staff and approximately 500 volunteers.  10% of our staff members have a disability.
  
  
• Capability Scotland recognises Trade Unions and is the only voluntary sector organisation to have negotiated a single table bargaining agreement with five trade unions.
  
  
• We provide services to approximately 947 adults and 731 children.
  
  
• Capability Scotland voluntarily funds a national disability advice and information service called Advice Service Capability Scotland (ASCS) with specialist information on cerebral palsy.  In 2006 our Advice Service dealt with approximately 3639 enquiries.
  
  
• St Judes Laundry in Edinburgh is the Royal Warrant Holder for doing the Palace of Holyrood Laundry
  
  
• Capability Scotland has an Equality Unit which provides disability awareness training, consultancy services and information on disability equality to organisations throughout Scotland.
  
  
• Capability Scotland runs the 1in4 poll - a unique survey that regularly gathers the opinions of disabled people, their carers and families.
  

Key facts about Disability

Ten Scottish Facts and Figures.  These figures were compiled by the Disability Rights Commission(Disability Rights Commission, Disability in Scotland 2004). 

This organisation is now part of  the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

• Scotland is estimated to have 1 million disabled adults likely to be covered by the DDA. About one in five of the population.
  
  
• In Scotland, there is a disabled person or a person with a long-term illness living in just over one in three households.
  
  
• Approximately four in ten (42 per cent) of all households with a disabled person have an income of £10,000 or less.
  
  
• Of the working age population 45 per cent of disabled people are in employment compared to 82 per cent of non-disabled people.
  
  
• Households with a disabled person, or a person with a long-term illness, are more likely to rent from a local authority or a housing association than to rent privately or to own their home.
  
  
• Five per cent of students in higher education in Scotland report they have a disability.
  
  
• The annual spending power of adults in Britain covered by the DDA is estimated at £80 billion per year.
  
  
• Fifty-eight per cent of disabled people (with or without a long-term illness) have no qualifications compared to 24 per cent of non-disabled people.
  
  
• Disabled people hold 3 per cent of public appointments.
  
  
• One in five disabled Scots have experienced harassment because of their disability.

You can find out more facts and figures about disability on the EHRC website.