Disabled peoples' Homes
by Aoife Deery, CAS Housing spokesperson.
This article was first published in The Herald on 19 September 2026.
“I was finally offered a flat they said was suitable, but it had all these adaptations I didn’t need. I have no use for a pull cord.”
These are the words of Iain, who told us about his experience finding a home. His is one of many voices which we are gathering as part of a new piece of research to bring to light the challenges disabled people face securing a safe and suitable home. It aims to set out the changes needed to ensure everyone can access a home that meets their needs.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS), alongside the Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) and Shelter Scotland, commissioned this work due to a steady rise in recent years in the number of disabled people coming to our network for advice and support on housing issues. While Scotland has a strong framework of housing rights, our evidence shows that disabled people still face significant barriers and delays to accessing suitable homes and adaptations.
Navigating the adaptations system can be complex, and the process varies if you rent from the council or privately. It is very likely that the complexity of the adaptations funding system directly contributes to fewer disabled people living in the private rented sector, which significantly reduces choice and control over where they live. It is essential that our whole housing system should be inclusive of the needs of disabled people.
With the housing emergency in Scotland showing little signs of improvement, it is vital to know how this is impacting disabled people. Interviews with disabled people are currently underway, alongside engagement with advice staff across Citizens Advice Bureaux, GDA and Shelter Scotland, carried out by the social research company, The Lines Between.
The research will explore housing accessibility, adaptations and disabled people’s wider experiences of the housing system. The findings, due to be published in January 2027, will be vital to informing local and national approaches to ensuring disabled people have safe, warm and affordable homes that meet people’s individual needs.
Even in the early stages of research, clear themes are emerging, including the need for an individualised approach and reduced wait times. Like Iain, there are so many people who have been allocated a “suitable” home but waited months, or sometimes years, for the adaptations they actually need, such as a level-access shower or a ramp to their own front door. Instances where people are unable to get in and out of their own home are particularly hard to hear.
For example, several people who use wheelchairs or mobility aids have contacted us for advice as they live in multistorey blocks with faulty and unreliable lifts, often leaving them trapped in their homes. This is unsafe and unacceptable, and denies people the right to go about their lives freely.
As the Scottish Parliament gets back to business after summer recess, there must be a renewed commitment to providing homes that are much more than just four walls.
Everyone should have a home that is safe, accessible and meets their needs, giving all of us the foundation to live independently and with dignity.