Home | About Us
Dr Jim Elder-Woodward OBE – Chair ILF Scotland Advisory Group
Born at the birth of the welfare state, James Elder-Woodward has had life-long experience of disability; not only as a health service and social care support user, but as a social service provider, planner and researcher.
After taking a degree in psychology, Jim studied health and social welfare in Sweden, Germany, Israel and Albania. In the UK he has worked for central government, Local Authorities, the NHS, the voluntary sector and universities. After the Balkan War, sponsored by Handicap International and the European Disability Forum, he did a lecture tour of Eastern Europe explaining the principles and practices of Independent Living to disabled people and service providers.
Jim retired from Glasgow City Council in 1999, where he was a Senior Social Work Officer (Physical Disability). Whilst working within local government he established both indirect and direct payments throughout the West of Scotland; as well as assisting in the development of the Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living alongside other disabled people. Within this post he also re-provisioned support in the community for long-term patients, after the closure of their hospital wards in Glasgow. On retiral Jim took his experience south of the border to help Scope, a charity for those with cerebral palsy, to close their care homes and re-provision their support services within the community. He also helped Scope and the English disabled people’s movement to communicate and help Scope re-shape its culture and purpose.
He is now:
He has written a number of articles and papers on disability and independent living, including co-authoring a book on the subject for social care workers.
In 2012, the Queen awarded him with an OBE for his work to improve the equal opportunities of disabled people; and in 2015 he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of the University of Glasgow for his writing and activities around disabled people’s human rights. In 2016, Glasgow Caledonian University awarded him a PhD by Publication.
He controls his own 24/7 personal support system. A widower, he lives close to Loch Lomond.
