Disabling Barriers Scotland

Our Profession

At present the number of solicitors disclosing a disability has only increased by 1% in the past ten years and is currently at 5% of the Scottish legal profession. (Law Society of Scotland, Profile of the Profession 2023) This is contrasted with an average 16% of the UK workforce. (Solicitors Regulation Authority, the case for disability inclusion))

This is despite approximately 55,000 students in Scotland having a known disability. The number of students disclosing a disability has increased by 46%, making up almost 1 in 5 students.This is an issue that is not unique to the legal profession, Disability News Service (Top Disability Confident members ‘do no better on jobs than non-members’ – Disability News Service) recently reported that employers that membership of the Disability Confident scheme were no more likely to employ disabled people than those who had not signed up. It also reported that disabled people working for Disability Confident employers do not report better experiences than those working for employers that are not members of the scheme.

OUR MISSION

Our mission is to create a culture of belonging within the Scottish Legal Profession. We advocate for the removal of barriers that prevent disabled/neurodivergent people from entering or sustaining a career in the Scottish legal profession. We offer a community external to an employer where we provide peer support and confidentially share experiences.

What`s next for Disabling Barriers Scotland? Part Two of our Introduction to the new group.