An open letter to Scope from an Assembly member

Dear whom it may concern,

Since being elected onto the Assembly last year, there has been a significant and concerning lack of engagement from the charity, and more recently it has been decided - without consultation - to scrap the WhatsApp group and move the Assembly to Microsoft Teams. Many disability activists speak against using Teams due to its inaccessibility, and the fact that this decision has been made without consulting the Assembly is not only reckless, but shows a serious disregard for the views of democratically elected individuals.

Another concern that I have is that somewhere along the way, an individual has been appointed a de facto Chair of the Assembly - again, without consulting the Assembly or having a democratic vote. If this individual was elected prior to this current Assembly being elected, then a new election should have taken place for the role of Chair. I find it utterly outrageous and disrespectful that the Assembly has not been consulted on this.

Furthermore, this is not the first time the Assembly has faced serious concerns being raised by its members. When I was elected, I had a lengthy conversation with an outgoing member who had essentially said that the Assembly is not fit for purpose. I agree. To the best of my knowledge, since being elected, we have had one meeting and a disability awareness training session. If that's what the sole purpose of this Assembly is - an occasional meeting and a session telling disabled people how to be disability aware - then it's not worth my time.

I find myself incredibly disappointed, as when I stood for election, I was under the impression that I would have the opportunity to help shape Scope. That has not been the case. On the contrary, we have found ourselves hindered and disenfranchised by the charity, and that is not only unacceptable, but it is also shameful that a charity such as Scope would behave in such a manner. In no uncertain terms, I believe at this stage that Scope is simply using the Assembly as a means to claim that the charity engages with disabled people, when in reality, there is no engagement, there is no accountability, and that isn't fair and needs to change urgently.

Finally, I want to raise a much more significant concern. Since Giovanni left Scope, there has been zero engagement from paid staff within the charity that could be classed as meaningful engagement. That includes a significant lack of safeguarding. 
Should things not improve in the coming weeks and months, I will have no option but to leave the Assembly.

Within the next few weeks, I am requesting an urgent meeting be held with the Board of Trustees and the Assembly in order for us to discuss this issues in detail.

In solidarity,
Jamie
Scope Assembly Member