We Want to Hear Your Access to Work Story
Difference North East is gathering real experiences from disabled people across the region for the government's Access to Work enquiry. Your story is evidence that cannot be ignored.
Submit your storyAccess to Work is meant to be a lifeline. For many disabled people across the North East, it should open doors to employment, keep us in our jobs, and help us thrive at work. If you have ever waited months for support, had your funding cut without warning, or struggled to get the help you need. This is your chance to speak up.
Difference North East is gathering real stories from disabled people to submit as evidence to the government's Access to Work enquiry. The scheme is under review right now. What you tell us will shape what decision-makers hear.
What is Access to Work?
Access to Work is a government scheme designed to help disabled people start, stay in, or move forward in employment. It can fund practical workplace support that goes beyond standard reasonable adjustments, including:
- Support workers or job coaches
- Specialist equipment or assistive technology
- Adapted transport to and from work
- Communication support such as BSL interpreters
- Mental health support at work
The scheme is available to employed people, self-employed individuals, and those who have been offered a job. It is meant to be flexible, person-centred, and responsive to your needs. That is the theory.
Your story can make a real difference. By sharing what works, or does not, to help show decision-makers what needs to change so Access to Work actually supports people in jobs, protects livelihoods, and funds the help that really matters.
The reality right now
While Access to Work has been transformative for many disabled people, the scheme is facing serious challenges. These are not administrative hiccups. When Access to Work fails, disabled people lose jobs, employers lose talented workers, and our region loses the skills and experience of disabled people who want to work.
- Waiting times of nine months or more for decisions on new applications
- Payment delays leaving people unable to pay support workers, taxi providers and other suppliers out of pocket
- Sudden cuts to long-standing support packages, often without clear explanation or right of appeal
- Inconsistent decision-making between case managers for people with similar needs
- Difficulty reaching case managers and getting responses to queries
These delays and cuts are having real consequences for real people right here in the North East. This is a region where 21% of the population is disabled and where disabled people already face higher rates of unemployment and poverty than anywhere else in England. That is why your story matters.
We want to hear from you
Whether Access to Work has been brilliant for you or has let you down, we want to know about it. We are looking for stories across three areas:
✅ The good stuff
Has Access to Work helped you get a job, stay employed, or progress in your career? Has it funded support that made a genuine difference to your working life? We want to celebrate what works and make the case for protecting it.
⚠️ The challenges
Long waiting times, funding cut without warning, administrative loops, difficulty reaching your case manager. If it has gone wrong for you, we need to know. Specific details (how long you waited, what was cut) are especially powerful.
💬 The real impact
How has Access to Work, or the lack of it, affected your day-to-day life, your mental health, your financial situation, or your career? The human cost is what decision-makers most need to hear.
You do not need to share everything, and you do not need to have all the answers. Even a few sentences help. Your story does not need to be perfect. Your lived experience that counts. Whether it was last month or last year, a success or a frustration, we want to hear it.
Your privacy matters
We know that sharing personal experiences takes trust. You can submit your story completely anonymously through our website. We will not share identifying information without your explicit permission. Your experiences will be used to build a clearer picture of how Access to Work is, and is not, working for disabled people in our region, and to push for improvements that make a real difference.
How to share your story
Head to our website and fill in the short form. You can share as much or as little detail as you feel comfortable with. Every story helps us build stronger evidence for change.
Submit your storyJoin Difference North East
Become part of Difference North East, a community of disabled people and allies working together to challenge inequality across the region. Membership is free. You will be connected to people who understand your experiences and informed about future campaigns, consultations and events.
Join us: it is freeLet's make this count
Share your Access to Work story today. Your experience is evidence that cannot be ignored. Every submission, even a few lines, helps build a scheme that truly supports disabled people to work, thrive, and succeed.
The North East has the highest proportion of disabled people in England. Our voices, gathered together, are a powerful submission. Please don't wait.
Submit your story now Join Difference North East
