Disability Rights in Stockton-on-Tees
Fighting for Equality, Access, and Justice in Your Community
Your Voice Matters in Stockton-on-Tees
Disabled People in Stockton-on-Tees
Are you a disabled person living in Stockton-on-Tees? You're not alone. Difference North East is a Deaf and Disabled People's Organisation (DDPO) that puts disabled people in charge of our own movement. We're run by disabled people, for disabled people, and we're active right here in Stockton fighting for the rights we all deserve.
Wheelchair-Accessible Taxis
12In the whole of Stockton-on-Tees. That's why local disability rights matter.
Gluten-Free Prescriptions at Risk
4,700+People in our region relying on NHS prescriptions that were proposed for removal in 2025.
Members Across the North East
200+Disabled people in our community. Join us and add your voice.
"Access is more than a chair. Access is more than a ramp. Access is everything we've spoken about today."
— Difference NE member, closing the Stockton community session, May 2025
What is a Disabled People's Organisation?
A Disabled People's Organisation (DDPO) is different from a traditional disability charity. We operate on a simple principle: "Nothing about us, without us."
Led by disabled people
At least 75% of our board members and 50% of our staff are disabled people with lived experience.
Social Model approach
We believe society disables people through barriers. Disability isn't your fault, it's society's responsibility to fix.
Member-driven
Our work is guided by what disabled people in Stockton and across the North East actually need.
Campaigning for change
We don't just provide services, we fight to change the systems that discriminate against us.
Why does this matter? Because we understand from lived experience what it's like to face discrimination in healthcare, struggle with inaccessible transport, or fight for the support you're entitled to. We're not speaking for you, we're speaking with you.
Our Work in Stockton-on-Tees: Real Impact, Real Change
Stockton-on-Tees has been a crucial part of our fight for disability rights across Teesside. Here's what we've been doing in your community.
🗣️ Community Listening Sessions
In May 2025 we hosted Voices from Stockton-on-Tees, the largest session in our Teesside series. Disabled people shared real experiences of transport chaos, inaccessible retail, benefits battles, and employment barriers.
📖 Ramping Up Rights at Stockton Library
On 9 July 2025, Claire from Difference NE chaired an evening with author Rachel Charlton-Dailey at Stockton Library, celebrating community wins, disability history, and the proof that collective action forces change.
🥖 NHS Gluten-Free Prescriptions Campaign
When the NHS proposed removing gluten-free prescriptions for thousands of people with coeliac disease in our region, Difference NE helped mobilise the Stockton community, resulting in BBC Look North coverage and over 1,400 consultation responses.
🗳️ Holding MPs Accountable on Welfare Reform
When the Universal Credit Bill came to a vote in July 2025, we tracked every North East MP, celebrated the community wins that forced the government to drop the 4-point PIP rule, and made sure Stockton residents knew exactly where their MPs stood.
🚌 Accessible Transport Campaigning
Only 12 wheelchair-accessible taxis serve the whole of Stockton. Buses lack consistent audio announcements. A "turn up and go" train right that exists in law but rarely in practice. We're documenting it all and have five concrete ideas for change.
🏛️ Disability History Month 2025
Across November–December 2025, we delivered talks in Billingham, training for NHS staff, and events right across Teesside, building the knowledge and community confidence that fuels our rights movement.
The Reality for Disabled People in Stockton-on-Tees
Our community listening session in May 2025 revealed the everyday barriers disabled people here face. Here's what we heard, in their own words.
🚕 Transport & Taxis
"I shouldn't have to do it with only 12 wheelchair-accessible taxis in the whole of Stockton. I should be able to, just like everybody else, want a taxi and get a taxi."
— Difference NE member, Stockton session
- Taxi drivers cancel bookings on sight of a wheelchair user
- Buses without audio announcements leave autistic and visually impaired people stranded or on the wrong route
- Inaccessible replacement buses add over two hours to the same journey a non-disabled passenger completes in thirty minutes
- A "turn up and go" right on trains exists in law, disabled people are still missing their trains waiting for someone to lift a ramp off the wall
Read: 5 Big Ideas for Accessible Transport →
🛒 Teesside Park & Retail
"Why can't they just hire out a wheelchair at Teesside Park?"
— Difference NE member, Stockton session
- No mobility scooter or wheelchair hire, Shop Mobility have already offered to provide equipment at cost, but no decision has been made
- New planting blocked Blue Badge bays, cutting off access to Boots
- Stockton is among the worst Blue Badge parking compliers in the North East, every council should meet the 6% rule
- Currently no disability officer at Stockton Council
Read the full Stockton session report →
📄 PIP & Benefits
"People give in too easily. If you believe it, go to the end."
— Difference NE member who fought to the House of Lords and won
- Every PIP tribunal participant at our Stockton session was initially refused, not one felt the process was designed with them in mind
- DWP deletes supporting evidence after 14 months under GDPR, without telling claimants in the backlog
- The Job Centre in Stockton had no accessible toilet, used as grounds to challenge all future in-person appointments
Read: Welfare Reform & What Comes Next →
💼 Employment & Identity
"Sometimes I think what you are, and who you are, and who you want to be, evolves because it has no choice."
— Difference NE member, Stockton session
- Job Centre advisors sending autistic members job matches for truck driving
- Disabled people written off by employers and systems after diagnosis, then proving those predictions wrong
- One member received an official letter: "You won't work ever again." She now campaigns for disability rights.
Read the full community report →
🥖 Cost of Living & Healthcare
"It's not based on need. It's not based on income. It's based purely on your postcode."
— Suzanne Fletcher, Gluten Free in Stockton-on-Tees
- Gluten-free bread costs around five times more than standard, a medical necessity, not a lifestyle choice
- Thousands in our region face losing NHS prescriptions that keep them safe and well
- North Tees Hospital praised as a better example in the region for involving lived experience in patient safety
Read the gluten-free prescriptions campaign →
🏗️ Planning & Public Space
"Disability accessibility isn't on their agenda. The knowledge is very poor, they should know, and they don't."
— Difference NE member, Stockton session
- Yarm town centre regeneration is underway, no disability officer at the council, no evidence of disabled people being meaningfully consulted
- A 30-year former borough councillor had never once heard of the 6% Blue Badge parking rule
The Cost of Being Disabled in Stockton-on-Tees
Extra Monthly Costs
£975The average extra monthly costs disabled households face, equivalent to 63% of income after housing.
Food Bank Referrals
69%Of people referred to food banks are disabled.
Heating Their Homes
41%Of disabled people can't afford to heat their homes, vs 23% of non-disabled people.
Material Deprivation
3×More likely to live in material deprivation than non-disabled people.
🗳️ Your Stockton MPs & the Welfare Vote
On 9 July 2025, MPs voted on the Universal Credit Bill, welfare reforms that will harm disabled people across the country. Stockton has two MPs. Here is exactly where each one stood.
Matt Vickers
MP for Stockton West
Matt Vickers was one of only 9 North East MPs who voted against the Universal Credit Bill. How this was due to his desire for the cuts to go deep and NOT in solidarity with Disabled people.
Chris McDonald
MP for Stockton North
Chris McDonald voted in favour of the welfare reforms. He voted for the cuts at the same moment Joy Dove, mother of Jodey Whiting, who died after benefit cuts, was speaking on stage at Stockton Library about her fight for justice.
See how all North East MPs voted and read our full reflection →
Join the Movement in Stockton-on-Tees
You don't have to fight alone. Whether you're disabled, a family member, carer, or ally, there's a place for you in Difference North East.
Become a Member
Free & for disabled people. Join 200+ disabled people across the North East. Get involved in Stockton campaigns, access free training, attend events, and make your voice heard.
Join FreeBecome an Ally
Support our mission, for organisations & non-disabled individuals. Not disabled but want to support disability rights in Teesside? Become an ally and stand with us.
Support UsShare Your Story
Experienced barriers in Stockton, on transport, in shops, at the Job Centre, in healthcare? Your story shapes our campaigns and our evidence to decision-makers.
Share Your ExperienceAttend Events
We host regular events across Teesside and online, community discussions, book launches, training, Disability History Month, and more.
See EventsWhat You'll Get as a Member
- Quarterly newsletter with local Teesside and regional disability rights updates
- Free disability training on rights, the social model, neurodivergence and more
- Campaign participation to shape policy in Stockton and beyond
- Community connection with other disabled people in Stockton-on-Tees who get it
- Events and activities including film clubs, book clubs and social gatherings
Get in Touch
Need support? Want to share your story? Have questions about our work in Stockton-on-Tees?
Email: hello@differencenortheast.org.uk
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Based in other parts of the North East? We serve the entire region including Newcastle, Durham, Sunderland, Gateshead, Hartlepool and Northumberland. Contact us wherever you are.