Difference North East - Changing Perceptions of Disability
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Category: Social Model of Disability

Stylised, colour-filtered image showing Kim McGuinness’ and Mary Kelly Foy faces on the right, one above the other, both looking forward. The background features a large elephant statue and an industrial or urban scene, overlaid with a textured pattern in purple, yellow, and pink tones, giving the image a bold, poster-like appearance.

Building Momentum for Fair Travel: MP & Mayor Support and Voices from Our Community

January 14, 2026

We are making progress in our campaign for fair and accessible travel. After we asked for change, Mary Kelly Foy MP confirmed she supports all of our actions. She will follow this up, and we will share updates soon. The North East Mayor, Kim McGuinness, has also responded positively and is looking at our proposal.

This campaign is about disabled people’s real lives. Many people cannot travel when they need to. One member, Delta, shared how limited bus times and high taxi costs leave her feeling trapped. Fair travel would help disabled people live more independent lives.

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Real Stories Shape Employment: A heavily distorted images showing disabled people in various work settings. The image has significant digital glitching effects with purple and cyan colour shifts, horizontal scan lines, and pixelated artifacts that obscure details. The corruption creates a halftone dot pattern overlay throughout, giving it a degraded VHS or digital transmission error aesthetic.

Real Stories, Real Change. Help Shape Better Employment Support in the North East

January 13, 2026

We want to hear from disabled people in the North East who are not in paid work. Share your experiences and help shape better employment support. You will be paid for your time.

We’re also looking for three employers who want to show what inclusive work looks like.

Take part in interviews, discussion groups, creative photography, or filmed stories.

Sign up today using our online form or email us. Every voice matters, and together we can make work fairer and more accessible for everyone.

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Donate Books This Disability History Month: Split-screen duotone image separated by bold white zigzag border: left side shows a young wheelchair user with glasses reading a book in vibrant magenta; right side shows a wheelchair user reaching for colorful children's books on shelves in yellow-green tones, creating a halftone print effect

Share Disability Stories: Donate a Book This Disability History Month

November 4, 2025

This November and December, you can help more people learn about disability by donating a book.
We’re working with Drake The Bookshop in Stockton-on-Tees to share stories that show disabled lives with pride and honesty.
You can pick a book from our special list — from children’s stories like What Happened to You? to powerful memoirs like Being Heumann.
Buy it online, choose “Collect from shop,” and we’ll make sure it reaches a local school or community group.
Small actions make a big difference. Let’s share our stories!

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True Cost of Gluten-Free Living. Collage of images from the BBC segment about the NHS consultation. Image is colourise yellow, blue and purple.

How a Proposed NHS Change Shows the True Cost of Gluten-Free Living

September 16, 2025

The NHS might stop giving gluten-free food on prescription. This is bad news for people with coeliac disease. Gluten-free food costs a lot more than regular food. Without help, many people will struggle to pay for safe food. This is not fair. It creates a big problem for disabled people. We believe everyone should get the food they need to stay healthy. Join us to fight this change. Your voice matters. Together, we can make sure everyone is treated fairly.

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Illustration of a diverse group of people, including wheelchair users, gathered around a table in discussion. Two individuals have speech bubbles, indicating conversation.

How Can Life Be Better for Disabled People? “On the Table” Event Recap

February 5, 2025

Have you ever felt left out of decisions that shape your everyday life? At Difference North East, we’re all about changing that. That’s why we recently ran an “On the Table” event for the Community Foundation’s Vital Signs report. This event brought disabled people together to share their experiences and talk about ways to make life fairer and more accessible. Here’s what we learned—and why you should join us to make your voice heard.

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