3 DISABILITY ORGANISATIONS IN SCOTLAND
3.1 Using the methods and definitions set out above, a total of 1,400 disability organisations were identified and 'mapped'. The mapping process identified 215 national disability organisations in Scotland. National organisations are those with a Scotland-wide remit, or UK organisations with Scottish Headquarters or presence. They account for 15% of all disability organisations in Scotland.
3.2 Local disability organisations or groups, that is, those with a remit for a specific geographic area - mostly a local authority, health board or specific town - number 1,185. Therefore 85% of all disability organisations in Scotland are local.
3.3 The number of organisations within a locality can provide some illustration of organisational activity relevant to disabled people living in the area. Disability organisations are, however, very diverse in terms of size - ranging from large multiple service providers to very small volunteer-run sports clubs.
Staff
3.4 One indication of the size of an organisation is whether they employ staff. From the online survey we know that most national organisations operate with paid staff, either part- or full-time employees and a third (36%) of local organisations have paid full-time staff.
3.5 Many disability organisations in Scotland make use of voluntary input. Seventy percent (70%) of national organisations have volunteers who contribute to their activities, as do 84% of local organisations.
3.6 Over a fifth (23%) of local disability organisations have no paid staff. Access panels, sports organisations or clubs and disability action groups or forums are the local organisations least likely to have paid staff.
3.7 New disability organisations are set up in Scotland every year. A third of local organisations (32%) in the survey were established only since the year 2000. This compares to a fifth (20%) of national organisations, who, on the whole, are more likely to have been established for longer. Over a quarter (27%) of national organisations were set up prior to 1970, compared to only 6% of local organisations.