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Scope

Description

Service Description

1952 – the charity is founded
Scope is founded (as the National Spastics Society) by 3 parents of disabled children (Ian Dawson-Shepherd, Eric Hodgson and Alex Moira) and a social worker (Jean Garwood). They want disabled children to have equal access to education.

1957 – employment support
Our first employment officer, Bill Hargreaves, supports hundreds of disabled people to find their first jobs. We’re still supporting disabled people today to get into and stay in work with our ground-breaking services like Support to Work, Kickstart and Starting Line.

1970 – our first charity shop
We open our first charity shop in Sevenoaks, Kent. There are now more than 240 shops nationwide which raise money for our work and provide volunteering opportunities for over 4000 people.

1990 – helpline launches
TV personality and celebrity agony aunt Clare Rayner launches our telephone helpline, to provide free information and support to disabled people and their families. The helpline is still going today and supports over 22,000 people a year.

1994 – name change
We change our name to Scope. Ben Elton presented William Hague, Minister for Disabled People, with a flag signed by 40 celebrities and 12,000 signatures endorsing equal rights for disabled people.

2016 – End the Awkward
Two thirds of non-disabled people admit to feeling awkward around disability. We launch our End the Awkward campaign to change this, tackling it head on with some good old-fashioned British humour. Our research suggests we succeed in changing the perceptions of 88% of people who see our campaign.

2017 – Everyday Equality
Everyday Equality, our ambitious 5-year strategy, sets out how we will work to drive social change so that disabled people have the same opportunities as everyone else.

2017 – Work With Me
We work with Virgin Media to launch our Work With Me campaign, to raise awareness of and tackle the barriers disabled people face getting into and staying in work.

2018 - Scope = Equality for disabled people
Scope rebrands to make it clearer why we exist and what we want to achieve for and with disabled people and their families.

Related content
Vision, mission and values
Who we are and why we exist.

Everyday Equality
Scope's strategy to drive social change for disabled people in the UK.

Additional Information

Additional Information

Navigate
www.scope.org.uk/navigate
Navigate provides support at the start of your journey as a parent of a disabled child. It's a six-week programme that aims to put you in touch with a personal advisor, helping you to talk about your feelings and concerns.

Phone: 0808 801 0510
Email: [email protected]
Monday to Friday: 9am to 8pm
Saturday: 9am to 12pm

Scope’s helpline
www.scope.org.uk/helpline
Scope's helpline provides free, independent and impartial advice and support on issues that matter to disabled people and their families.

Freephone: 0808 800 3333
Email: [email protected]
8am to 8pm weekdays and closed at weekends and bank holidays.

Parents Connect
www.scope.org.uk/parents-connect
Email: [email protected]
Parents Connect is a six-week support programme for parents and carers of young disabled people in London.

Suitable for ages

Age of Users
All Ages

Costs

Cost
Free

Questions & Answers

Can Families Self-Refer To The Service?
Yes
Do You Have A Waiting List?
No
Eligibility - Can The Service Be Accessed By Extended Family Members Or Carers
Yes

Further Information

Provider Type
SEND
Suitable For
Tourette's Severe Learning Difficulty (SLD) Profound & Multiple Learning Difficulties (PMLD) Physical Disability Multi-Sensory Impairment (MSI) Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD) Epilepsy Specific Learning Difficulties Long Term Medical Conditions Downs Syndrome Speech, Language & Communication Needs (SLCN) Specific Learning Difficulty Dyslexia Complex Needs Social, Emotional, Behaviour Difficulty (SEBD) Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Visual Impairment
Delivery Channels
Office / Premises
Referral Criteria
None (Self-referral)