Scottish Learning Disability Week: ‘I Am Here’

In the name of Kirsty Kennedy-Hyman,
Co-chair of the Self-Advocacy Forum

Scottish Learning Disability Week runs from 8 to 14 September. The theme this year is ‘I Am Here.’ It is a short phrase, but it says a lot. People with learning disabilities are telling Scotland clearly: we are here, we belong, and we expect to be included in every part of life.

The week is led by the Scottish Commission for People with Learning Disabilities (SCLD). Their message is that Scotland should be a fairer place where people with learning disabilities live full lives, are respected, and have the same opportunities as everyone else. At Enable, we agree. For us, this is not just about words – it is about rights, and how those rights can be real in everyday lives. That is why our Rights Now! campaign is calling for Scotland to put the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into law.

‘I Am Here’ connects directly to that ambition. It is about visibility, voice, and action. And you can see what that looks like through the stories of people we support.

R, aged 14, lives with severe anxiety around travel. That meant missing out on school trips or relying on his mum to come along. Through Enable’s youth group, he worked step-by-step to build confidence, practising bus and train journeys with support. Over Easter, R managed a full trip to the Glasgow Transport Museum with his group – boarding coaches, buses, and even the underground without his mum. For him, it was a huge moment of pride. For his family, it showed independence was possible. That is I Am Here in action.

Stories like this show what happens when rights are made real. People with learning disabilities take their place in society, contribute, and thrive. Families see the difference, and communities are stronger.

This is exactly what the UNCRPD is about – rights to education, health, culture, leisure, and participation in politics. Through programmes like Access for All, we are breaking down barriers to sport and leisure. Through Enable the Vote, we are preparing for the next Scottish election to make sure people with learning disabilities can take part in democracy.

Scottish Learning Disability Week is a chance to celebrate progress and highlight what inclusion looks like in practice. But equality cannot be for one week only. It must be built into how Scotland works every day – in schools, in services, in communities, and in politics.

As Co-chair of the Self-Advocacy Forum, I see people with learning disabilities standing up and saying: ‘I Am Here.’ They are showing it through breakthroughs in travel, confidence in the community, and participation in sport and culture. They are showing it through campaigns like Rights Now! and Enable the Vote.

Our message is simple. We are here. We expect our rights under the UNCRPD to be real and respected. And we will keep pushing until that is achieved.