Keep this date in mind: February 15, 2015.

That is when Jamie Szymkowiak had the idea to establish a campaign to promote representation of disabled people in the civic sphere.

The small businessman, a leading SNP activist, reached out to campaigners in other parties to found One in Five, a non-partisan group that set about lobbying politicians and policymakers. One in five people in Scotland lives with a disability and many face barriers to pursuing a career in public service.

So far, so much like every other worthy cause. Grassroots movements spring up every day but most come and go without making an impact, regardless of how commendable their mission.

One in Five has proved a very different beast in that it has enjoyed uncommon success for such a young organisation.

Szymkowiak, and colleagues including Pam Duncan-Glancy (Scottish Labour) and Nicola Ross (Scottish Conservatives), formulated a manifesto of the group's key aims.

The One in Five charter commits signatories to: 1) Ask members about any additional needs, 2) Conduct meetings in accessible locations, 3) Provide information resources in inclusive formats, 4) Ensure flexibility to allow disabled people to play a full part in the organisation, and 5) Work to increase awareness of issues of importance to disabled people.

Szymkowiak and his fellow activists quickly signed up all the main Scottish political parties to the pledge then moved onto their first major policy campaign: Helping to get more disabled people elected to parliament and local government.

Their preferred model was the access to elected office fund, introduced by the coalition government at Westminster in 2012 to supply extra funds for disabled political candidates. The fund was used in England to pay for additional support such as British Sign Language interpreters and transport.

One in Five pressed the Scottish Government to replicate the scheme north of the border.

In December, minister for local government and community empowerment Marco Biagi announced a community empowerment fund, earmarked at £35,000, to expand electoral opportunities for those with disabilities. It was a small sum of money but welcome progress nonetheless.

Over the weekend, the minister unveiled a second project, budgeted at £200,000 and piloted by Inclusion Scotland. The democratic participation fund will run until May 2017 and help disabled candidates for that year's council elections to meet transport and communications costs.

Szymkowiak welcomed the announcement of the money, saying: "The creation of the democratic participation fund for disabled people by the Scottish Government is magnificent news. The fund will certainly help smash the financial barriers disabled people face accessing politics - such as additional transport needs, sign language interpreters or extra travel costs if you have a carer.

"The One in Five campaign is delighted that this early announcement provides disabled people, across the political spectrum, plenty of time to consider standing for selection in the 2017 local government elections.

"The fund, together with the redefinition of candidates' personal expenses and the access to politics project, provides the best opportunity for Scotland to address the under-representation of disabled people in politics."

Remember that date we talked about at the outset. A small campaign group, set up in February 2015 with little in the way of financial clout or advertising, has helped bring about a change in government policy in the space of 12 months. Yes, more funding will be needed down the line. Yes, there is still so much more to do. Disabled people represent 20% of the population but only 5% of the Holyrood benches.

Nevertheless, for its size and resources, One in Five has secured an important victory in forcing a worthwhile but marginal cause onto the political agenda. That is a credit to the effort and determination of Szymkowiak and his associates.

It also serves up an educational example of what activism can achieve. That word is thrown around a great deal these days but all too often describes movements that are high on enthusiasm but low on substantive action; "slacktivism", as it has been dubbed. One in Five represents authentic activism: The kind that actually changes things instead of sitting around talking about it.

The only remaining question is this: When is Jamie Szymkowiak going to become an MSP?

Analysis by Stephen Daisley, STV's digital politics and comment editor. You can contact him at stephen.daisley@stv.tv.