Government urged to reconsider reforms that will ‘exclude’ disabled people from the arts

Hundreds of artists and culture sector employees have signed an open letter urging ministers to halt any changes to the Access to Work support scheme for disabled employees, amid concerns about a lack of transparency and the creation of “insurmountable barriers” to the sector.

Addressed to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Liz Kendall, the letter, which has over 300 signatures, criticises Access to Work reforms – outlined in the ‘Pathways to Work’ Green Paper – that are currently being consulted on, as well as procedural changes that it says began last year.

According to the letter, these changes risk “dismantling hard-won progress” in the employment of people with disabilities in the cultural sector, while creating “new, insurmountable barriers” to employment, participation and leadership.

“They will jeopardise access to jobs, creative development, and even basic attendance at arts events, and exclude a generation of disabled artists, cultural workers, and leaders from the very spaces they help define,” said the letter.

A publicly funded employment support programme, Access to Work was designed to help more people with disabilities start or stay in work by providing practical and financial assistance, including specialist equipment and software, support workers, and vehicle adaptations or travel costs for those who cannot use public transport.

Earlier this month, several reports citing leaked information suggested the DWP is planning cost-cutting measures to the Access to Work scheme, which would make it harder for disabled people to gain support.

Meanwhile, a government consultation setting out plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support is due to close on 30 June.

Asked in the House of Commons on 12 May if she could reassure disabled people that there would be no cuts to the programme’s budget, Kendall replied: “Our reforms to Access to Work are not about savings; they are about ensuring that this brilliant service is available to more people in future.

“We are also looking at how it might be delivered – whether it will continue to be delivered through the department, or through an arm’s length body – or, indeed, an organisation run by and for disabled people.” 

‘Inconsistent decisions and unsanctioned cuts’

The open letter alleges that since last year, Access to Work case managers have been implementing “cost-cutting measures,” resulting in “inconsistent decisions and unsanctioned cuts,” including reductions in funding for software and equipment, as well as a cap on the amount allocated for human support.

These changes, it says, will have a negative impact on the already precarious culture sector, noting that a third of the workforce is self-employed and many organisations are struggling financially, making it difficult for them to absorb the costs of providing assistance.

While the signatories acknowledge “a clear need to reform”, they state that this must be based on “constructively supporting disabled people into meaningful work, not a cost-cutting exercise.”

“No reform of this scale should proceed without transparency,” said the letter: “The Office for Budget Responsibility must publish their full assessment of how these proposals will affect disability employment rates before any consultation takes place.”

‘My entire career is at risk’

The open letter follows the announcement last week by co-artistic director of Touretteshero Jess Thom that she is standing down from her role while she appeals a decision to reduce her Access to Work support by over 60%.

Thom is a wheelchair user and needs round-the-clock care as well as help with typing, personal care, eating and moving around.

Since 2015, when an annual cap on the total amount of support anyone could claim through Access to Work was introduced, Thom has received the maximum amount available, with her case reviewed annually.

Despite submitting her application for this year in July 2024, she received approval for reduced report nine months later, and is currently appealing the decision.

“Floored by this, I burst into tears, immediately aware of the implications of this decision on my work, life, and financial security,” she wrote in a blog. “I can’t work without appropriate support, so this email from a stranger was in effect telling me that my entire career is at risk.

“There was no clear explanation for the huge cut in support, and there were several significant problems with what was awarded, making it completely unworkable.

“I’m profoundly sad to say that as of today, I’ll no longer be able to do my job as co-artistic director of Touretteshero. While I hope this will be resolved quickly, I want to make it clear that it’s solely due to a recent decision made by Access to Work about my support.”

‘This system is broken’

Thom is not alone in voicing her concerns.

A report published earlier this month by Decode, sharing the outcomes of 117 disabled people working in the arts and creative sector who applied to the Access to Work scheme in the previous 15 months, found that only 10.5% of those applying for a renewal received the amount requested in full.

The wait time for self-employed workers’ applications to be referred to a case manager was found to be 55 weeks, dropping to 35 weeks for those on PAYE. After being assigned a case manager, the average wait time for a decision was 26 weeks.

One respondent said: “I have lost support workers and life-changing work opportunities. I have lost £10,000 of work to date. I can’t put into words what it felt like losing a business and a team that I’ve worked for years creating, because of one person who wasn’t following the policy, made a decision at the click of a button.”

Another described a reduction in support as “devastating”, adding that they have also lost income as a result and had to lay off employees.

“A month ago, I was like anyone else, knuckling down, contributing, paying my taxes – but that’s not going to happen anymore because I can’t physically earn enough without support. This system is broken and it’s broken me.”

Meanwhile, disabled-led theatre company Graeae has also warned that the proposed changes would “permanently prevent” its community from working in theatre, and that attempting to absorb the costs would lead to it running fewer projects and employing fewer disabled people.