By Theresa Shearer, CEO of The Piper Group, a strategic partnership across Sense Scotland and ENABLE Scotland

THE right of every person who has a learning disability in Scotland to live the life they choose, in the community of their choice, supported by the people and organisations they wish, has been hard won over the last six decades.

It is the privilege of social care providers and charities to empower individuals to do so, and with that comes the responsibility to attract and retain the best quality people into our workforce in order that we can make that human right real.

I also believe that despite the strides made in enshrining these rights in legislation, policy and practice – not just in Scotland, but across the world – we cannot afford to get complacent. During a turbulent period of political strife across Europe, we must continue to work in partnership with other countries to protect and promote these rights, and to show solidarity where they are challenged.

Today, as experts from around the world gather in Glasgow for the Congress on the scientific study of learning disabilities at the SEC (for which ENABLE Scotland is proud to be a lead sponsor), a key topic of discussion among the 1,200 delegates will be just that. In the wake of Brexit, how do we ensure the future of cross-border co-operation with partners and maintain a healthy flow of social care workers?

In a sector where 38 per cent of Scottish social care services already have staff vacancies, there is a real risk that limiting migration from the EU will only exacerbate staffing issues. For the 120,000 people who have learning disabilities in Scotland, the implications are stark. A Scottish Parliament committee report claimed that, without access to EU workers, social care services would be placed “under severe strain”, while the King’s Fund has highlighted the negative impact of immigration salary thresholds on social care services.

The Congress organisers, the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IASSIDD), reflect the outward-looking nature of learning disability organisations. It is the largest and oldest scientific organisation of its kind, and this conference will see Scotland become a hub for worldwide research over four days. I will be among delegates to share in this international co-operation.

For years ENABLE Scotland, as the nation’s leading charity for people who have learning disabilities, has led the charge in partnering with counterparts from around the world to share knowledge and learning. As a founding member of Inclusion Europe and the host of its inaugural meeting in Scotland 30 years ago, we will continue to play our role in such efforts. Since that meeting, there are now 39 countries participating and campaigning for positive moves to protect the rights of people with disabilities. I am proud to serve on its board.

Looking forward, efforts must be made to ensure Scotland and the UK as a whole remain an integral part of global initiatives to secure the rights of people who have a learning disability. We must also look again at the implications of restricting freedom of movement, and identify ways of ensuring that social care services do not see a dramatic decline in staffing from the EU. To tolerate any further risk to providing minimum levels of staff for services in a climate which is already challenging would be a betrayal of the progress we have made.

I hope this week’s Congress gives us an opportunity not just to look back at progress we have made domestically and with our international partnerships, but to plan ahead to how Scotland and Europe can continue, together, towards securing equality for all members of society.