Disabled People's Cabinet Forum: report

1. Executive Summary

The Disabled People’s Cabinet Forum, which took place on 3^rd February 2026, brought disabled people, Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), and Cabinet Ministers together for direct dialogue and shared problem‑solving. As a first‑of‑its‑kind event, it showed how Scotland’s Disability Equality Plan can be delivered and further developed through shared understanding and co‑production from the outset, connecting lived experience with leadership.

Across social security, social care, mental health, transport, and employment, participants highlighted persistent, intersecting barriers to disabled people’s independence, equality, and wellbeing, including limitations on freedom, choice, and access to opportunity. Key issues raised by the participants included inconsistent social care and charging practices, long waits for essential services, inaccessible transport, digital exclusion, and the disability poverty gap. These overlapping challenges drive isolation, poverty, exclusion from society, impacts on family life, worsening health, and premature mortality.

Ministers listened, outlined ongoing work, and acknowledged where faster progress is needed. The First Minister committed to sustained partnership with DPOs and to broadening work across all portfolios, rather than limiting responsibility to a single directorate.

Clear cross‑cutting needs emerged: greater consistency, stronger accountability, and better coordination across systems. Disabled people called for national leadership to reduce postcode variation and ensure fair access to support wherever people live.

Ministerial involvement was central to the Forum’s impact. Direct engagement with lived experience helped Ministers identify portfolio gaps and next steps. Participants described the Forum as meaningful, empowering, and a strong model of co‑production.

The insights provide a solid mandate for the next phase of the Disability Equality Plan: system improvement, ongoing partnership with DPOs, and rights‑based, consistent, co‑produced approaches across government.