Advice
Capability's Advice Team can offer you advice and information on a range of subjects relating to disability.
Capability's advice team can provide you with advice and
information on many aspects related to living with a disability,
including using our expertise in cerebral palsy. We have a broad
range of knowledge and experience and we are also able to draw on
the experience of other professional staff in the organisation. Do
you want to know where to hire or buy a riser recliner chair or
elastic shoelaces? Do you want to know if there are any local
support groups? Whatever your question is, why don't you just ask
us? We are happy to answer questions, offer advice or just listen
to what you have to say.
Susan is a childminder for a little boy with cerebral palsy. She
wanted advice and information about suitable toys and games. We
were able to suggest professionals who could advise her, send her
articles about play and disabled children, details of companies
which sell suitable toys and loan her resources from our
library.
"I'm a wheelchair user and parent of 2 young children.
Because I can't take my children to school and had no one else to
help, my husband had to take a lot of time off work and became
worried about his job. Capability helped me find out about his
rights to flexible working and local authority duties to my family.
"
Pat, South Lanarkshire
Graham contacted the advice service to discuss the difficulties
he was having at work. He has a long term condition and is now
finding it difficult to work full time so asked his employer to
reduce his hours. His employer agreed to this, but wants to move
him to another post where the work is more physically demanding. We
advised Graham and suggested where he could get support.
Capability also manages the Cerebral Palsy Register for Scotland
(CPRS). The CPRS was launched in April 2003 with the aim of
investigating cerebral palsy (CP) and how it might be affecting how
children with and their families live. The register records
information from the doctors and parents or carers so that the
register can look at the whole picture. Follow this link to
find out more about the CPRS.
Hate Crime and Remote Reporting
Aditionally we act as a remote reporting centre for victims of
hate crime. Hate Crime against disabled people happens when the
perpetrator of the offence is motivated by their prejudice towards
disabled people. Other crimes, such as theft or assault, can also
be aggravated by prejudice against the victim's disability.
Hate Crime legislation in Scotland has been strengthened to
protect disabled people and those from the lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgendered communities. The Offences (Aggravation by
Prejudice) (Scotland) Act 2009 came into force in March 2010. It
will better protect disabled people who are victims of violent
crime motivated by their disability. Where it can be proven that an
offence has been motivated by malice or ill-will based on the
victim's disability, sexual orientation or transgender identity,
the court must take that motivation into account when determining
sentence.
Remote reporting is a way of reporting a crime or passing on
information without talking to the police directly. Victims,
witnesses, carers or others can speak privately to a member of our
staff and we will pass your information onto the police. You can
ask for your information to be investigated; leave details, but ask
for your information not to be investigated; leave no details, and
ask for your information not to be investigated (this helps police
monitor areas where hate crime may be rising). Capability works
alongside Lothian and Borders, Highland, Fife and Tayside police
and provides remote reporting for victims of hate crime in these
areas. You can contact us about this by phone: 0131 313 5510 or
email: advice@capability-scotland.org.uk.
Resources
The Advice Team also has a small lending library with resources
about cerebral palsy and children's books about disability.
How to borrow resources
Anyone living in Scotland can borrow our resources - disabled
people, parents/carers, professionals, students - anyone with an
interest in disability issues.
Resources can be taken out on loan for one month. People can
borrow up to four items at one time. If it is not possible for you
to come to the library in person, we can post items out to
you. (Please note that borrowers are responsible for the cost of
returning library resources).
Library Catalogue Online
Capability Scotland is one of 13 partner organisations that make
up the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability (SCLD).
Capability along with 4 other partners makes up the SCLD
library.
All of our resources can be viewed on the Scottish Health
Library Catalogue. If you find a resource listed there you
would like to borrow, please contact the library partner who holds
the resource.
Factsheets
We have put together a number of factsheets on popular topics
including cerebral palsy and accessible holidays. These can be
found on our factsheet page.
