CURRENT ISSUES BULLETIN

Abstract

Personal assistance is the key to the realisation of the independent living principles, as set out by the worldwide Independent Living Movement. In Scotland, consideration is under way to bring personal assistance within the realm of mainstream social care. This paper discusses the current debate around such a move from the perspective of postcolonial theory. Although more commonly used in terms of the impact of Global North political philosophy and practices on the Global South, this paper uses the term to criticise the maintenance of professional and hegemonic power over disabled people within the process of managing personal assistance within Scotland’s ‘self-directed support’ programme. The potential development of training, registering, and regulating personal assistants within Scotland is discussed with reference to Altermark’s (2018) ‘post-institutional’ theory of community support and Ratzka’s personal observations of fake personal assistance programmes. Further, it is suggested that by incorporating Mladenov’s (2019) study methodology of ‘good’ personal assistance, international studies of personal assistance might highlight where and how postcolonising of personal assistance happens within different states.