Aberdeen charity We Too! has been awarded £70,000 from the Improving Access Fund, delivered by Inspiring Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, to expand its work removing barriers that prevent disabled people from participating in everyday community life.
The funding will enable We Too! to scale up its successful accessibility programme across Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Moray, working directly with leisure, cultural and creative organisations to embed inclusive practice within their existing services.
We Too! has built a strong reputation for delivering accessible experiences across the North-east of Scotland, including its role as Accessibility Lead for major civic events such as Spectra – Scotland’s Festival of Light and Tall Ships Aberdeen 2025.
The new funding will allow the charity to build on this work by creating a structured model that helps organisations deliver Relaxed Sessions and Performances that welcome disabled and neurodivergent customers as standard.
Rather than creating separate or higher-cost activities, the programme focuses on embedding accessibility into mainstream provision. This includes peer-led training for staff, practical guidance, accessible visual guides, and sensory resource boxes to support inclusive delivery.
Phionna McInnes, Chief Executive and “Chief Ninja” of We Too!, said: “This funding is a huge step forward for disabled customers and families across the North-east.
"Too often, people are excluded from everyday experiences simply because spaces were never designed with them in mind. Our work is about changing that – not by creating ‘special sessions’, but by helping organisations build accessibility into everything they do.
"When accessibility becomes part of the design from the start, everyone benefits.”
The programme will support 15–20 organisations to develop inclusive practice while directly enabling an estimated 500–700 disabled people to participate in accessible leisure and cultural experiences over the next year.
Crucially, the work is shaped and delivered by people with lived experience. Around 80% of the organisation’s workforce are disabled people themselves, ensuring that accessibility is informed by real experiences rather than assumptions.
Alongside improving access to activities, the project will strengthen informal peer support and wellbeing by helping organisations create welcoming, predictable environments where disabled customers feel confident and respected.
The Improving Access Fund aims to reduce the “disability price tag” - the additional financial and social barriers disabled people face when accessing everyday opportunities.
For We Too!, the funding represents an opportunity to turn years of practical learning into a sustainable model for inclusive experiences, helping organisations across Scotland make accessibility the norm rather than the exception.