PEOPLE with disabilities and long-term health conditions in Scotland are feeling “imprisoned” due to a lack of accessibility in “disability-unfriendly” towns and cities.
It comes as a report from the MS Trust, which supports people living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), found that uneven pavements, inaccessible town and city centres and inadequate public transport are making it more difficult for people to leave their homes and access services.
Valerie Rankin, 55, from Perthshire, is one of around 17,400 people living with MS in Scotland – the equivalent of one in every 300 Scots.
“What people think it is can be very different to what it actually is, and it affects everyone so individually that there’s not a blanket viewpoint,” Rankin told the Sunday National.
“It’s sometimes called a 30-minute life. You’ve got a 30-minute window of energy, I’ll get up and I’ll have my shower and things like that, and after about 30 minutes of activity, I need to sit down and have another 20 to 30 minutes to rest.”
Prior to her diagnosis, Rankin would regularly shop at Perth – yet recent urban planning decisions have made it “almost impossible” for Rankin to visit independently.
She told the Sunday National: “They’ve gradually pedestrianised most of the city centre, which sounds like a really good idea but the downside is that it’s almost made it impossible for me to walk anywhere in Perth.
Another issue Rankin faces is a lack of comfortable outdoor seating where people can rest, as she argued councils were prioritising stopping anti-social behaviour over the needs of people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Rankin said: “They don’t have comfortable benches. When they’re planning it, they’re thinking they don’t want people mulling around or using the walking area as a playground, but then it makes it uncomfortable to sit.
“The lack of outdoor seating is a major reason why many people with MS like me can’t use buses and can’t go out because we simply can’t stand.
“It's an awful feeling to get somewhere and realise you can’t manage it. I’m exhausted after I go out and spend a day or more recovering.”
For Rankin, paving issues are “particularly bad” in Perth, as some pavements appear to have a curb but are actually on the same level as the road.
As part of her MS, Rankin experiences visual disturbances as well as balance and depth perception issues, which means that the appearance of curbs can often be a trip hazard and lead to a fear of falling.
“Uneven pavements and a need for more outdoor disabled seating might seem like little things, but they make a real difference between independent travel or staying at home,” Rankin added.
Perth isn’t unique with these issues; Rankin is no longer able to visit Edinburgh as it is a “nightmare” to get around.
She told the Sunday National: “I used to love Edinburgh when you could nip up and down all these little back alleys and lanes, but to go now in a wheelchair is just not something you can do.”
However, Rankin added: “You still have some of the issues of how they want it to look versus how it’s practical.”
She highlighted bins as an example, adding that it was often impossible to avoid being caught in the smell.
“My face is at the height of all the bins, so if you’re on a pavement where there is no room to manoeuvre, I get the whiff of a bin in the summer in full blast, or if somebody’s stubbed a cigarette on top of a bin, I can’t avoid that.
“You don’t notice that until you’re in a wheelchair.”
‘There’s no excuse to get it wrong’
RANKIN argued that a number of practical steps should be taken to make Scotland’s towns and cities more accessible.
With older buildings, such as on Edinburgh’s George Street, for example, Rankin said: “There’s no easy way to make that wheelchair-proof, it would take over the whole place.”
But she added: “But when they’re actually building from scratch, I don’t think there’s any excuse to get it wrong.
“It should be mandatory that they have people with a variety of health conditions give their input. They shouldn’t be building anything nowadays that isn’t completely accessible for everybody.
“People who make these designs should be made to go around their day in a wheelchair to get some understanding as to what it really feels like.
“Given there are charities like the MS Trust that are just sitting there ready, and that have the ability to offer forward people that they know would talk to them, I don’t think it would be difficult to get that kind of advice.”
She added: “It’s not something that most people have to have a perspective on. You don’t get it until you get it, that’s the saying.
“I could sit and tell you what fatigue feels like, but in your own head, you’ll think it’s just being really, really tired or really exhausted. But there’s so much more to it.”
Rankin pointed towards the “horrible” experience of applying for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefit, which was recently cut by the UK Government, making it more difficult for people with disabilities and long-term health conditions to access.
She said: “From the minute you fill the first form in, it’s like they almost expect you to be dishonest and they put you to testing to whether or not you’re faking symptoms. It’s not nice feeling like you have to perform.”
Rankin has since transferred over to the devolved Scottish benefit Adult Disability Payment, and said the payment makes a real difference to her life.
“I was a stay-at-home mum and I had always planned that when my children went to secondary school I would go back to work, I would retrain, maybe get a degree, re-enter the workforce and contribute financially to the family pot.
“That’s all gone, all those hopes and plans have all gone.
“This is the only money I have that is mine. It’s tricky because I was always a hard-working person, it’s hard not to earn your own money.”
Rankin added: “What I’m really hoping now is that in Scotland with it changing over, that they’re going to be a little bit kinder and put into place procedures that are easier for people like myself that have got long-term chronic illnesses.
“There is no cure for MS, I won’t get better. It’s really difficult that every two or three years I’ve got to go through the application process all over again to prove that I’m deserving of some financial help.”
Lucy Taylor, CEO of MS Trust, said: “The moment you have a condition like MS that can make walking difficult, you realise how inaccessible many of our towns are as a result of inadequate public transport, uneven pavements, and narrow shop doorways.
“We are committed to raising awareness of what living with MS day to day is like – and the world of difference it makes to people with MS when support is available.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Our vision is that all disabled people can travel with the same freedom, choice, dignity and opportunity as other citizens.
“Transport Scotland published inclusive design guidance in April 2025 developed with stakeholders including Disabled People’s Organisations and planners.
“The guidance sets out the importance of inclusive engagement for street design, as considering the needs of disabled people in all aspects of design will deliver environments that meet the needs of everyone.
“The independent advisory Mobility Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) works to ensure disabled people can travel safely, independently, and with dignity. We are working closely with MACS to improve accessibility across Scotland.
“This includes bringing forward work that removes many of the barriers to accessible travel in the most important first and last mile of everyone’s journey.”
For more information on living and working with MS, visit mstrust.org.uk
