You Can’t Localise Human Rights – Self-Advocacy in Scotland

By Lucy McKee, Self-Advocate, Enable

Reflections from the 21st Europe in Action Conference, Vicenza, May 2026

As a self-advocate with Enable, I was delighted to attend the 21st Europe in Action Conference in Vicenza, Italy.

Bringing my voice to this international platform, where 39 European countries were represented and speaking for 20 million people with intellectual disabilities, was something I will never forget.

Over three days, I contributed directly to three sessions: moderating Developing Self-Advocacy Organisations, sitting on a panel about Enable’s self-advocacy work, and attending the EPSA General Meeting on political engagement.

What I Shared About Enable’s National Self-Advocacy Work

On the Enable panel, I spoke about what our national self-advocacy work means to me and to the people I work alongside.

You Can’t Localise Human Rights

If you only have small, isolated pockets of self-advocacy, it is too easy for local authorities or services to ignore them. To create real change, we need a strong, united national voice.

Our Rights Now! campaign, for example, shows how rights belong to everyone. It does not matter where you live in Scotland; we work nationally so that no one is left behind. We speak directly to the Scottish Government, push for changes to national laws, and make sure human rights apply to everyone, no matter where in the country they live. This helps us change laws and policies. Our voice is louder when we speak together.

My message to our European partners was simple: building self-advocacy nationally means that self-advocates from all over Scotland can connect, share their experiences, and realise they are not fighting these battles alone. That gives people a real sense of belonging and a real sense of power.

Partnership and Power-Sharing

This is partnership in practice. It enables genuine partnership and power-sharing between self-advocates and the organisation that supports them.

Enable made the decision to create a national forum where self-advocates lead the agenda. We choose the topics. We choose the campaigns. We decide what we want to say to the people in power. That is what it looks like when self-advocacy is not bolted on but built in. It is at the core of everything Enable does. Staff listen and step back so that we can lead.

Young People at the Heart of It

I also shared the work of my colleague Dayna, our Youth Coordinator, who works closely with Enable to make sure young people are at the heart of this movement too. Self-advocacy is woven into the DNA of Enable, and that includes the next generation.

What’s Next?

Finally, I spoke about how important it is to give people the right tools to lead: accessible resources, meaningful training, and the space to step forward. We work together as equals.

When self-advocates speak for themselves, that is when the magic happens and systems start to change.

That is what I took to Vicenza, and that is what I am bringing back.

Thank you to Inclusion Europe and Anffas for the warm welcome, and to every self-advocate who shared their story alongside me.