Inequalities and challenges experienced by disabled people in Scotland: evidence review

Social Security

Disabled people may face challenges due to the extra daily living and mobility costs and sometimes need to pay extra for social care and support^[57]. There are different kinds of benefits that disabled people in Scotland can apply to access including Disability Payments and Self-Directed Support. This chapter will examine the number of applications and uptake of different benefits as well as some challenges related to benefits provision.

In 2022, Adult Disability Payment started to replace Personal Independence Payment and Disability Living Allowance for adults in Scotland. These benefits were delivered by the Department of Work and Pensions but are now administered by Social Security Scotland. Adult disability benefits are non-means tested payments available to people with ill health or disability and are not dependent on work status^[58]. These payments are provided to offset the additional costs incurred of ill health and disabilities^[59]. There have been a number of themed evaluations on the new payments, for example one considering the case transfer process. This looked at client experiences of case transfers for Adult Disability Payment (and for Child Disability Payment). It highlighted elements that were working well, including communications and no gaps in payments. It also provided recommendations, such as making it easier for clients to report changes of circumstances and reviewing parts of existing guidance^[60]. In July 2025, 484,055 people were in receipt of Adult Disability Payment^[61]. Social Security stated that, in July 2025, 40% of the Adult Disability Payment caseload had a primary disability condition in the Mental and Behavioural disorders category^[62]. Further, 24% of the caseload had a primary disability condition in the musculoskeletal diseases category and 7% in the diseases of the nervous system^[63].

A report from the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (SHERU) noted a rise in new awards for disability benefits in Scotland after the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels. The largest increase in new awards was for people with mental and behavioural disorders which rose from 16,063 in 2018-2020 to 52,277 in 2022-2024^[64]. SHERU suggests that the rise in awards for Adult Disability Payment in Scotland was expected due to publicity around the new payment and attempts to make the application easier to complete, as well as the Benefit Take Up Strategy 2021^[65]. In 2025, an Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment found that the application process, “although much kinder in nature is still at times inaccessible, complex and burdensome”. It recommends further measures to ensure that the client experiences of the Adult Disability Payment is person centred^[66].

In 2021, Child Disability Payment replaced Disability Living Allowance for children in Scotland. Child Disability Payment aims to mitigate some of the additional costs of caring for a disabled or terminally ill child or young person. Social Security Scotland estimates that, as of 30 September 2025, 91,835 children and young people were in receipt of the Child Disability Payment^[67]. The most common category of a primary disability condition was Mental and Behavioural disorders which made up 74% of the total caseload (71,180), of which 56% were for Autism, and 17% for ADHD. For more information, see the chapter on children and young people in this report.

Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance is a benefit which replaces Disability Living Allowance. It provides money to help with the extra care and mobility costs that a person living with a disability might have. As of 30 September 2025, 42,720 people were on the Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance caseload, 8% received both care and mobility awards, 10% received a care only award, and 12% received mobility only, followed by Mental and Behavioural Disorders, accounting for 25%^[68].

Pension Age Disability Payment provides financial support for individuals over state pension age who have a disability or long-term health condition that means they need assistance with looking after themselves, or supervision to keep them safe. This benefit was launched in March 2025 as a replacement for Attendance Allowance. As of 31 July 2025, 64,310 people were in receipt of Pension Age Disability Payment^[69]. Two rates are available, a lower rate for people with day or night needs and a higher rate for people with day and night needs or who are terminally ill. Of the total caseload, 42,670 (66%) were in receipt of the higher rate and 21,645 (34%) were in receipt of the lower rate.

Self-Directed Support (SDS) is available for everyone in Scotland who needs social care services or support and can be received in 4 different ways depending on the needs of the individual. While not designed as an income benefit, SDS can support disabled people to live fuller lives. SDS can be provided in multiple ways: as a payment directly to the person to arrange their own support, the support is arranged on behalf of the person, the local authority decides and arranges support, or the person uses a mixture of ways to arrange their care and support^[70]. The experience of applying for and accessing SDS was investigated by the Health Social Care and Sport Committee and it was found that it is implemented inconsistently across different Health and Social Care Partnerships^[71].

SDS is underpinned by an ethos of personalisation of support for disabled people which has developed over time in Scotland since the 1990s^[72]. Personalisation involves disabled people having choice and control over their support^[73] as well as having the flexibility to purchase services and participate in society^[74]. Personalisation is associated with a move away from professionals making decisions about disabled people and a move towards people who use services having the power to decide what they need for themselves^[75]. Self-directed support is one way in which Scotland attempts to achieve personalisation of care and independent living for disabled people and is underlined by four principles: collaboration, involvement, informed choice, participation and dignity.

However, evidence suggests that the policy of personalisation and the ethos of choice for disabled people is not always achieved in practice. This is often due to funding restrictions^[76]. In addition, one study investigated the extent to which disabled people knew about their right to independence and if they were able to access support to achieve this through SDS^[77]. This research carried out qualitative interviews with practitioners (due to ethical concerns of involving people accessing the support themselves). This research suggested that SDS increased service users' awareness of their rights but the complexity of the process of applying for SDS meant that it was difficult to achieve the actualisation of independence and personalised care in practice^[78].

In another survey of 637 people who received SDS, SDS Scotland found that while most people felt that they had enough time to choose their SDS option, some participants in this study talked about their social worker choosing their SDS option for them or not having clarity about what was available to them, which is contrary to the underlining principle of personalisation^[79]. This report highlights that while professionals play important roles in supporting access to appropriate services for disabled people, they should not be making decisions on their behalf as choice and control are key components of SDS policy^[80]. Another key concern highlighted in this report was funding cuts to SDS budgets and the impact this could have on people on low incomes receiving the support^[81].

One research study by Rummery, Lawrence and Russell investigated the experience of disabled people using personalised services using a Scottish dataset of 6 focus groups and a survey of 126 disabled people and their family carers^[82]. This study found that disabled people used or wanted to use SDS for many varied activities such as personal care, leisure and recreational activities, and housework. Participants in this study highlighted that there were a range of needs that were unmet through SDS including transport, work, leisure and education. Participants highlighted that payments were not flexible enough as options for how to use SDS were solely focused on provision of personal care which undermines the ethos of personalisation. The research suggests that this, as well as an overuse of bureaucracy by agencies providing care, led to a lack of trust towards said agencies.

Glasgow Disability Alliance reported that when attempting to access benefits, the respondents to their survey suggested that 82% of the respondents felt they had been treated differently or unfairly because of their disability^[83]. In addition, 65% felt they had been treated unfairly because of another characteristic, such as their race or ethnicity, being a woman, being an older person, being LGBT or being overweight, highlighting the importance of understanding and acknowledging intersectional experiences^[84].

Despite available welfare support for disabled people in Scotland, many disabled people continue to experience poverty which will now be examined in the following chapter.