Access to Work is a vital UK government scheme that funds practical support for disabled people, assistive technology, travel, workplace adjustments, and more to help them start and stay in work. Though it’s admired around the world, the scheme is underused, misunderstood, and increasingly under threat.
That’s why disability equality campaigners Dr Shani Dhanda and Jacqueline Winstanley FRSA founded the Access to Work Collective, a unique space bringing together disabled people, employers, researchers, suppliers, and policymakers to:
- Raise awareness of the scheme and its benefits
- Share solutions to the barriers disabled people face
- Support inclusive employment and self-employment
- Reduce the disability employment and pay gaps
A Growing Crisis
Recent coverage has revealed a grim reality: more than 62,000 applications are stuck in a backlog, with over 33,000 people still unpaid. Since early 2024, applicants have faced months-long delays, sudden unexplained cuts, sometimes up to 60% and decisions that leave them unable to work.
Channel 4 News recently followed Dr Dhanda meeting disabled people already impacted by these cuts, some losing income, jobs, or even homes. The founders call this what it is: a systemic failure, not isolated bad luck.
From Lived Experience to Evidence-Based Reform
To drive lasting change, the Collective has launched a new academic study in partnership with the Centre for Innovation Management Research (CIMR) at Birkbeck, University of London. This will gather robust evidence on where Access to Work works and where it fails, to policymakers can no longer ignore the truth.
How You Can Join the Fight
The Access to Work Collective’s #AccessToNowhere campaign is already making national headlines. But to win this fight, they need collective action:
- Sign the open letter demanding urgent reform – link
- Write to your MP using ready-made templates – link
- Join the LinkedIn community to share experiences and connect – link
- Apply to join the Advisory Boards guiding the new research – link and link
- Attend the 22 August info session breaking down the Access to Work process – link
As Dr Shanni Dhanda and Jacqueline Winstanley, FRSA put it:
“We believe no one should be held back by barriers that can—and should—be removed. Access to Work must work for everyone who needs it.”
This isn’t just a campaign, it’s a movement built on lived experience, creativity, and determination. Together, we can make this crisis impossible to ignore and ensure Access to Work delivers on its promise.
Campaign Press Coverage
- Woman’s Hour {Radio} – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002gg6z
- BBC Radio 4 In Touch {Radio} – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002g4gz
- Big Issue {Online} – https://www.bigissue.com/news/employment/access-to-work-dwp-cuts-disabled-people/
- iNews {Online} – https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/we-disabled-want-work-government-support-scheme-3801578?srsltid=AfmBOor2xXpx6z-WWv9tyLO4-sbExwEHhaeL0-9XfUIxafL-IACSLr1d
- Express {Online} – https://www.express.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/2086902/disability-work-reform
- Liverpool Echo {Online} –https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/its-sabotage-disabled-workers-slam-32135330
- Devon Live {Online} https://www.devonlive.com/news/cost-of-living/im-disabled-worker-dwp-stopped-10375202
For more information: