By failing to build homes which are accessible or adaptable, Housing and disabled people: Britain’s hidden crisis argues that we are not only failing disabled people today but storing up a huge problem for the future.

The report, published today, calls on the Scottish Government to produce a national strategy to ensure there is an adequate supply of houses built to inclusive design standards and for a review of the way that building standards are enforced.

John Wilkes, head of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland, said: “During our inquiry we heard many stories of people unable to leave their homes, restricted to eating, sleeping and bathing in one room, and loved ones risking their own health to carry family members upstairs or between rooms. The effect of this cannot be understated. It impacts on every aspect of a disabled person’s life, their ability to participate in family life, to work, to access education and social life, as well as their dignity, health and wellbeing.

“Today there are 61,000 disabled Scots who are waiting for adaptations to their homes. A further 17,000 Scottish wheelchair users are poorly housed.

“But Scotland is currently building 50,000 affordable homes. We could resolve the problem for all of Scotland’s wheelchair users now if these houses were built to accessible standards.”

The inquiry, which was conducted across Great Britain, also found that disabled people living in inaccessible houses were four times less likely to be in work than those who were properly housed.

Simple adaptations such as handrails, low level baths and hoists could make huge differences to people’s ability to live in their own homes, but the current system for installing them isn’t working, with lengthy delays common.

The report found that part of the problem is down to poor planning.

Only a quarter of Scottish councils said they had accurate information about disabled people’s housing needs today, and few are planning for people needs as they age. As a result, only a fifth had set targets for building accessible homes in the future.

Mr Wilkes added: “If we don’t act now we are simply storing up trouble for future generations. We estimate that demand for wheelchair accessible homes will rise by 80% in the next five years. It’s four times cheaper to build an accessible house than to retro fit adaptations. Building accessible housing is also far cheaper than keeping people in care homes or hospitals as we do just now simply because there is nowhere for them to live.”

Recommendations to stop the crisis include:

Deputy director of CIH Scotland, Callum Chomczuk, said: “This is an important report, not just for the housing sector. It is equally important for health and social care, where pressures and costs will increase if wheelchair users have to live in inappropriate housing. It is important because of the enormous human impact of not getting this right. The shortfall identified by this report is not something that can be ignored. We must have a concerted and co-ordinated effort to address the growing needs identified in this report.”

The report and associated material has been issued today and is available on the Commission’s website.