Background

We began our journey in 2017 when an advisory group led by disabled people was started by Inclusion Scotland to shape their Highland Project. Funded by the Scottish Government and designed to find ways to increase disabled people’s citizenship in the Highlands

By 2018 this group grew into the Disability Highland Community of Practice (DHCoP). An informal network of over 100 disabled people, supporters and local decision makers with a shared a passion for inclusion of disabled people in decisions made that affect our lives.

In 2019 this group decided to form a Disabled People’s Organisation. Together they picked a legal structure, wrote a constitution, and applied for chartable status. With the support of Inclusion Scotland and the membership of the DHCoP, HighAbility became a Registered Charity in April 2020.

HighAbility is a charitable organisation ‘of’ disabled people ‘for’ disabled people with the majority of the Board of Trustee’s identifying as disabled people. Founded on the principles and values of the social model of disability, stating that people are disabled by barriers in society not their impairment or difference and it is society that must change the way it is organised.