info@directaccess.group
UK: +44 1270 626222
Ireland: +353 (0)15079081
Ireland: +353 (0)15079081
Once again, it saddens us to report that disabled people are being treated as expendable.
The UK government’s latest cost-cutting crusade has taken aim at Access to Work—a scheme that, for decades, has quietly but powerfully levelled the playing field for disabled people in employment. And now? It’s under threat. A threat so severe that insiders are warning it could obliterate the scheme entirely, leaving thousands of disabled workers with an impossible choice: quit their jobs or face insurmountable barriers without the support they need.
Let’s be absolutely clear—Access to Work isn’t a luxury. It’s a lifeline.
This scheme is not about handouts. It’s about equity. It’s about enabling the same dignity, opportunity, and independence that non-disabled workers are afforded by default. Slashing this scheme betrays a deep and disturbing message: that the productivity, talent, and humanity of disabled people are somehow less valuable. That they are, once again, the first on the chopping block.
At Direct Access, our very foundation is built on the principles of accessibility, inclusion, and equality. We exist to dismantle barriers, not watch silently while they’re rebuilt under the guise of fiscal discipline. We work daily with organisations across sectors to foster environments where disabled people can thrive—not just survive. What the government is doing flies in the face of every single value we uphold.
This isn’t just a policy change—it’s an assault on disabled professionals and the future of an inclusive workforce.
Let’s talk numbers, since that’s what the government seems to care about: Access to Work generates far more in economic benefit than it costs. It supports people to remain in work, contribute to the economy, and live independently. The ROI isn’t just financial—it’s social, human, immeasurable.
And yet, instead of improving and expanding this critical programme, the government is proposing cuts that could make it unworkable. Let’s be clear about what this means in the real world:
Deaf professionals left without BSL interpreters.
Neurodivergent workers losing job coaching support.
Individuals with anxiety as a result of neurodivergence denied the transport they need.
People with mobility impairments denied the technology or transport they need.
People with visual impairments denied the technology or transport they need.
Disabled entrepreneurs shut out from pursuing their visions or building an impressive career for themselves.
This is not just short-sighted. It is discriminatory. How dare we pretend to be a society that values equality when we undermine the very mechanisms that make it possible?
We are calling on everyone—employers, advocacy groups, community leaders, and citizens—to raise your voices. This is not the time for silence or polite disagreement. This is the time for rage, resistance, and advocacy for disabled people, who historically have struggled to stand up to the powers that be due to a lack of resources.
At Direct Group, we will not stand by while the government tries to dismantle what disabled people have fought so hard to secure. We will fight alongside our community and continue to advocate, design, consult, and innovate in the name of accessibility and inclusion. Many members of our team have used Access to Work for transport, equipment, and resources that they need – and it’s no secret that business has been extremely well, that public and private infrastructure has benefitted massively from our team’s efforts.
And we urge the government: do not dare turn your back on the very principles of inclusion you claim to support.
This isn’t just about a scheme. It’s about justice.
United Kingdom
| Pepper House, Market Street, Nantwich, Cheshire, CW5 5DQ. |
Ireland
| 77 Camden Street Lower, Dublin, D02 XE80. |
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