<< Link to letter, links in Resources >>
Disability Cuts
In May 2025, we sent an open letter to Liz Kendall (Secretary of State for Work and Pensions) and Rachel Reeves (Chancellor of the Exchequer) opposing proposed cuts to disability benefits. In the letter we argued that the proposed cuts would push disabled people deeper into poverty and social isolation, when instead we should be caring for the vulnerable and honouring the dignity of every person. We urged the government to halt the reforms and listen to the stories of disabled people and their carers, many of which we included in the letter. We also wrote a social media guide to contacting your MP, and encouraged students to use our letters as templates to get in touch with their own local MPs.
In June, the UK government confirmed it would make major changes to its planned welfare cuts: under this new plan, people already receiving personal independence payments (Pip) or the health element of universal credit would keep getting them. However, the cuts still apply to future claimants.
If you’re a student or recent graduate at a UK university, get in touch to request access to the Disability Rights Campaign group by e-mailing us at scm@movement.org.uk.
Making an Accessible World
In 2025 we worked with SCM communities across Britain to tell us what they cared about, and facilitated them to take action through a National Campaign. SCM communities identified public transport as one of the most significant barriers to equality in the UK, with current transport systems being “fundamentally unfair,” and effectively excluding disabled students from attending university lectures, social events, and job interviews. We came together in a series of workshops exploring responses through art, poetry, and performance to create a video asking decision makers to lobby for change and to include disabled people in the conversation.
You can watch and share this video made by SCM members with your local decision maker and MP to make a difference. Add these words to your email/letter to strengthen the argument.
Resources
A core component of our campaigning around disability rights is creating and sharing resources which raise awareness and increase knowledge. The first of these resources was the Disability Access Toolkit for Communities, developed as a “pop-up” extension of the Honest Church campaign. This toolkit provides churches and student groups with actionable resources to evaluate their accessibility, encouraging them to be transparent about their level of inclusion so that disabled individuals know what to expect before attending.
In addition to more practical advocacy, we prioritise disability theology. Through resources like The Little Resource of Disability Theology, we encourage students to re-examine scripture through the lens of lived disability experience.