Disabling Barriers Scotland

"Through the Letter Box" by Elizabeth Blackadder

Disabling Barriers Scotland - a new disability initiative for the legal profession in Scotland

Every so often one comes across an initiative that is bound to make a difference for the better. The legal profession has for some time and with some justification been perceived as being slow to wake up and respond to equality issues. This can be said of disability. Can it be claimed that within the legal profession people with disabilities have always felt comfortable about disclosing them when applying for a role with a law firm? The Equality Act provides some protection but prevention rather than cure is always the best policy, fortified by training and education to achieve best practice. That is often found to be lacking.

An initiative by two young lawyers in Scotland looks set to change attitudes to disability within Scottish law firms. Armed with a feeling that something needed to be done combined with powerful personal experience, Fraser Mackay and Thomas McGovern have established an organisation dedicated to tackling issues encountered by people with disabilities who wish to enter the legal profession. They have received positive and encouraging initial support from Rob Marrs and The Law Society of Scotland.

They intend to achieve their objectives through a combination of education, third party engagement, the creation of a support network and a lobby group.

The new group is called Disabling Barriers Scotland.

As the name of the group suggests, removal of barriers encountered by those with disabilities is key. I think that they will find little resistance to their mission. It is right and just and the entrepreneurial flair they have demonstrated is to be applauded.

This project sits at the centre of a number of important issues affecting the legal profession and its clients. How can lawyers advise clients properly on disability issues if they have little or no experience or knowledge of them? Access to justice, which has been an issue since modern employment law began, is relevant here. Disabled people are often at a particular disadvantage if the disability has proved to be a barrier to employment or, as frequently happens, if it is a reason for dismissal and is then a barrier to seeking further employment. Any hope of being able to afford legal representation is severely compromised.

I wish Fraser and Tom well with this initiative which will be supported fully by Amanda Mackay and myself. We are delighted to have been invited to join the Current Issues Group of the organisation and have accepted the invitations gladly. It is good to see important changes being propelled by new members of the legal profession.

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