title: “We’re Still Here: Surviving Britain’s War on the Disabled”
date: 2025-10-28
author: Forgotten Rights
slug: were-still-here
featured_image: /images/disabled-activists-march.jpg
featured_image_caption: “Disabled activists march through central London holding banners that read ‘Disabled and Proud’ and ‘Cuts Kill’.”
meta_description: “After years of austerity and welfare cuts, Britain’s disabled people are still standing, organising, and refusing to disappear. A story of resistance and survival.”
tags: [disability rights, activism, austerity, uk politics, dwp]
We’re Still Here: Surviving Britain’s War on the Disabled
By Forgotten Rights
They said austerity would be temporary. They said the “tough decisions” were necessary. Fifteen years later, the policies remain — and so do we. Disabled people across Britain have endured sanctions, cuts, and humiliation, yet the one thing the government didn’t plan for was our refusal to disappear.
This is what survival looks like: community networks keeping one another alive, activists challenging injustice in the streets and courts, neighbours delivering meals, carers working unpaid hours, and bloggers documenting truths the mainstream ignores. We are tired — but we are still here.
🧩 How We Got Here
Austerity began as a political slogan after the 2008 financial crash, but it has outlived the crisis that supposedly justified it. The burden fell hardest on those least able to bear it: the sick, the disabled, and the poor. Benefits were frozen, care budgets cut, and councils stripped of funding.
According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, nearly half of people living in poverty in the UK now live with a disability or long-term illness. That’s not coincidence; it’s consequence.
Through it all, the DWP insists the system is fair and functional. But step into any food bank, hospital ward, or advice centre and you’ll hear the same story — people fighting to survive bureaucracy as much as illness.
💷 Living Under Permanent Austerity
Disabled households pay more for everything — electricity for medical equipment, taxis when public transport fails, specialist diets, home care, adapted housing. Scope’s Cost of Disability Report estimates the extra expense at £975 a month on average.
Meanwhile, benefits barely cover the basics. Inflation outpaces increases, and Universal Credit deductions swallow what little remains. Food banks, once rare, have become a routine part of disabled life.
Yet through the hunger and cold, we keep connecting, building networks of mutual aid that outshine the government’s neglect. It’s community, not policy, that keeps people alive.
🏘️ The Power of Local Solidarity
Across Britain, small acts of solidarity have become lifelines. In Birmingham, a volunteer collective delivers free mobility aids. In Manchester, community kitchens ensure people with chronic illnesses have hot meals. In Glasgow, housing activists fight to keep disabled tenants in accessible homes.
These grassroots efforts rarely make headlines, but they represent the quiet heroism of ordinary people refusing to look away. While policymakers debate numbers, communities deliver compassion in real time.
As one volunteer told The Guardian, “We don’t have much, but we have each other — and that’s what the government can’t cut.”
💻 Digital Resistance
Social media, often written off as shallow, has become a critical organising tool. Hashtags like #DisabilityTwitter, #AusterityKills, and #ForgottenRights connect people who might otherwise feel isolated. Information spreads faster than official statements, and collective outrage turns into collective action.
Online networks have crowdfunded mobility scooters, emergency rent payments, and even legal challenges. Disabled people use their voices not only to tell personal stories but to document policy harm in real time — something no government press release can spin away.
🧠 The Emotional Cost of Resistance
Surviving oppression is not free. Activism burns energy many disabled people don’t have. Organising from hospital beds, making calls between medical appointments, explaining basic dignity again and again — it’s exhausting.
Mental health services, already overstretched, rarely meet the demand. Many campaigners live with anxiety, trauma, and burnout. And yet, somehow, hope persists. Hope, because telling the truth still matters. Hope, because silence helps only those in power.
📣 The New Generation of Voices
A new wave of disabled activists, journalists, and artists is emerging — sharper, angrier, unafraid. They don’t seek permission to speak; they build platforms of their own.
Independent projects like Forgotten Rights share first-hand testimony that mainstream outlets ignore. Podcasts like The Disability Download and organisations such as Inclusion London create spaces where disabled experience leads the conversation rather than follows it.
Visibility is changing the narrative. We’re no longer content to be “inspirational stories.” We’re political realities — citizens demanding the country we were promised.
⚖️ Fighting Back in the Courts and Streets
Legal challenges have forced limited reforms. Tribunals regularly overturn DWP decisions, proving how flawed the system remains. Campaign groups like Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) keep the pressure on through direct action, petitions, and protests that remind Britain the fight isn’t over.
In 2024, a coalition of disability organisations submitted evidence to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, arguing that current welfare policy still breaches international obligations. The UK was once a leader in disability rights. Now, it’s being lectured on them.
🌍 Allies Matter
Change won’t come from disabled people alone. It requires allies — carers, healthcare workers, trade unions, journalists, teachers — anyone willing to say “this isn’t acceptable.”
Allies can amplify disabled voices, share accurate information, and challenge stigma in everyday conversations. Real solidarity happens offline as much as online: writing to MPs, showing up at protests, voting for justice, refusing to laugh at tabloid cruelty.
🕯️ What Survival Looks Like
Survival isn’t just breathing. It’s writing blogs at 2am because pain won’t let you sleep. It’s showing up to a tribunal on no energy because your life depends on it. It’s laughing with friends despite everything. It’s choosing compassion over cynicism.
Every act of kindness, every post, every protest — it all matters. It proves that even under policies built on neglect, humanity endures.
✊ The Future We’re Building
We don’t just want to survive; we want to live. Real change means a society where access is assumed, support is guaranteed, and dignity is non-negotiable.
That future will be built not by governments but by communities like ours — people who have already learned to survive the worst. If we can endure fifteen years of cruelty, we can rebuild something better.
So we keep going. We write, protest, and connect. We remember those lost and protect those still fighting. We remind the country that disabled people are not statistics, burdens, or afterthoughts.
We are Britain too — and we’re still here.
📚 Sources and Further Reading
- Scope – Cost of Disability Report
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Poverty and Disability Data
- The Guardian – Disability Coverage
- Inclusion London – Campaigns and Briefings
- Privacy & Accessibility
- Disclaimer & Legal
Final Word
The government may ignore us. The tabloids may twist our stories. But we remain — writing, marching, caring, surviving. Each day we persist is an act of rebellion.
We’re still here. And we’re not going anywhere.
date: 2025-10-28
author: Forgotten Rights
slug: were-still-here
featured_image: /images/disabled-activists-march.jpg
featured_image_caption: “Disabled activists march through central London holding banners that read ‘Disabled and Proud’ and ‘Cuts Kill’.”
meta_description: “After years of austerity and welfare cuts, Britain’s disabled people are still standing, organising, and refusing to disappear. A story of resistance and survival.”
tags: [disability rights, activism, austerity, uk politics, dwp]
We’re Still Here: Surviving Britain’s War on the Disabled
By Forgotten Rights
They said austerity would be temporary. They said the “tough decisions” were necessary. Fifteen years later, the policies remain — and so do we. Disabled people across Britain have endured sanctions, cuts, and humiliation, yet the one thing the government didn’t plan for was our refusal to disappear.
This is what survival looks like: community networks keeping one another alive, activists challenging injustice in the streets and courts, neighbours delivering meals, carers working unpaid hours, and bloggers documenting truths the mainstream ignores. We are tired — but we are still here.
🧩 How We Got Here
Austerity began as a political slogan after the 2008 financial crash, but it has outlived the crisis that supposedly justified it. The burden fell hardest on those least able to bear it: the sick, the disabled, and the poor. Benefits were frozen, care budgets cut, and councils stripped of funding.
According to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, nearly half of people living in poverty in the UK now live with a disability or long-term illness. That’s not coincidence; it’s consequence.
Through it all, the DWP insists the system is fair and functional. But step into any food bank, hospital ward, or advice centre and you’ll hear the same story — people fighting to survive bureaucracy as much as illness.
💷 Living Under Permanent Austerity
Disabled households pay more for everything — electricity for medical equipment, taxis when public transport fails, specialist diets, home care, adapted housing. Scope’s Cost of Disability Report estimates the extra expense at £975 a month on average.
Meanwhile, benefits barely cover the basics. Inflation outpaces increases, and Universal Credit deductions swallow what little remains. Food banks, once rare, have become a routine part of disabled life.
Yet through the hunger and cold, we keep connecting, building networks of mutual aid that outshine the government’s neglect. It’s community, not policy, that keeps people alive.
🏘️ The Power of Local Solidarity
Across Britain, small acts of solidarity have become lifelines. In Birmingham, a volunteer collective delivers free mobility aids. In Manchester, community kitchens ensure people with chronic illnesses have hot meals. In Glasgow, housing activists fight to keep disabled tenants in accessible homes.
These grassroots efforts rarely make headlines, but they represent the quiet heroism of ordinary people refusing to look away. While policymakers debate numbers, communities deliver compassion in real time.
As one volunteer told The Guardian, “We don’t have much, but we have each other — and that’s what the government can’t cut.”
💻 Digital Resistance
Social media, often written off as shallow, has become a critical organising tool. Hashtags like #DisabilityTwitter, #AusterityKills, and #ForgottenRights connect people who might otherwise feel isolated. Information spreads faster than official statements, and collective outrage turns into collective action.
Online networks have crowdfunded mobility scooters, emergency rent payments, and even legal challenges. Disabled people use their voices not only to tell personal stories but to document policy harm in real time — something no government press release can spin away.
🧠 The Emotional Cost of Resistance
Surviving oppression is not free. Activism burns energy many disabled people don’t have. Organising from hospital beds, making calls between medical appointments, explaining basic dignity again and again — it’s exhausting.
Mental health services, already overstretched, rarely meet the demand. Many campaigners live with anxiety, trauma, and burnout. And yet, somehow, hope persists. Hope, because telling the truth still matters. Hope, because silence helps only those in power.
📣 The New Generation of Voices
A new wave of disabled activists, journalists, and artists is emerging — sharper, angrier, unafraid. They don’t seek permission to speak; they build platforms of their own.
Independent projects like Forgotten Rights share first-hand testimony that mainstream outlets ignore. Podcasts like The Disability Download and organisations such as Inclusion London create spaces where disabled experience leads the conversation rather than follows it.
Visibility is changing the narrative. We’re no longer content to be “inspirational stories.” We’re political realities — citizens demanding the country we were promised.
⚖️ Fighting Back in the Courts and Streets
Legal challenges have forced limited reforms. Tribunals regularly overturn DWP decisions, proving how flawed the system remains. Campaign groups like Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) keep the pressure on through direct action, petitions, and protests that remind Britain the fight isn’t over.
In 2024, a coalition of disability organisations submitted evidence to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, arguing that current welfare policy still breaches international obligations. The UK was once a leader in disability rights. Now, it’s being lectured on them.
🌍 Allies Matter
Change won’t come from disabled people alone. It requires allies — carers, healthcare workers, trade unions, journalists, teachers — anyone willing to say “this isn’t acceptable.”
Allies can amplify disabled voices, share accurate information, and challenge stigma in everyday conversations. Real solidarity happens offline as much as online: writing to MPs, showing up at protests, voting for justice, refusing to laugh at tabloid cruelty.
🕯️ What Survival Looks Like
Survival isn’t just breathing. It’s writing blogs at 2am because pain won’t let you sleep. It’s showing up to a tribunal on no energy because your life depends on it. It’s laughing with friends despite everything. It’s choosing compassion over cynicism.
Every act of kindness, every post, every protest — it all matters. It proves that even under policies built on neglect, humanity endures.
✊ The Future We’re Building
We don’t just want to survive; we want to live. Real change means a society where access is assumed, support is guaranteed, and dignity is non-negotiable.
That future will be built not by governments but by communities like ours — people who have already learned to survive the worst. If we can endure fifteen years of cruelty, we can rebuild something better.
So we keep going. We write, protest, and connect. We remember those lost and protect those still fighting. We remind the country that disabled people are not statistics, burdens, or afterthoughts.
We are Britain too — and we’re still here.
📚 Sources and Further Reading
- Scope – Cost of Disability Report
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation – Poverty and Disability Data
- The Guardian – Disability Coverage
- Inclusion London – Campaigns and Briefings
- Privacy & Accessibility
- Disclaimer & Legal
Final Word
The government may ignore us. The tabloids may twist our stories. But we remain — writing, marching, caring, surviving. Each day we persist is an act of rebellion.
We’re still here. And we’re not going anywhere.
Charities We Support
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Daily living aids and safety gear that actually make life easier — not the useless junk government “assessors” push.
Browse Home Care Picks Affiliate link — no extra cost to you.Let’s be clear from the start: this isn’t an attack on refugees.
No one chooses to flee their home, cross oceans, or risk everything unless they have to. Refugees deserve compassion, dignity, and support.
Written by Forgotten Rights
For those the government would rather forget.
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✅ Where to Put It in WordPress Dashboard → Pages → Add New → Title: Terms of Use. Paste the text above in HTML (Code Editor) mode. Click Publish. Add a footer link next to your Privacy and Disclaimer pages: Privacy & Accessibility | Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Contact ⚙️ Optional Enhancements Cookie banner plugin: Complianz or CookieYes will automatically link to these pages. Legal bundle menu: Create a “Legal” dropdown with: Privacy & Accessibility Disclaimer & Legal Notice Terms of Use title: “Terms of Use” slug: terms-of-use date: 2025-10-30 —Terms of Use
Last updated: 30 October 2025
Welcome to Forgotten Rights — an independent UK blog highlighting issues affecting sick and disabled people under government policy. By using this website, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following Terms of Use. If you do not agree with any part of these terms, please do not use this site.
1. Acceptance of Terms
Your access to and use of Forgotten Rights (the “Site”) constitutes your acceptance of these Terms, our Privacy & Accessibility Policy, and our Disclaimer & Legal Notice. These may be updated at any time without prior notice.
2. Purpose of the Site
This website provides news commentary, personal opinion, and analysis relating to disability rights, welfare policy, and social justice. It is intended for informational and discussion purposes only. It does not provide legal, medical, or financial advice.
3. Use of Content
All original articles, text, graphics, and images are © 2025 Forgotten Rights unless otherwise stated.
- You may quote short excerpts for non-commercial purposes with full attribution and a visible link back to the original post.
- You may not reproduce, republish, or distribute our content in full without written permission.
- Commercial or media use requires prior consent from the author(s).
Where we share external images, press excerpts, or data, copyright remains with the original creators under fair-use exceptions for reporting and commentary.
4. User Conduct
When interacting with this website (via comments, forms, or emails), you agree that you will not:
- Post defamatory, discriminatory, or abusive material.
- Upload or share content that violates any law or third-party rights.
- Attempt to hack, disrupt, or damage the website or its infrastructure.
We reserve the right to remove or block any comments or users who breach these terms.
5. Donations and Support
Forgotten Rights may include voluntary donation links (e.g. Ko-fi or Patreon) to help fund our independent journalism. These are entirely optional and processed securely through third-party platforms under their own terms and privacy policies.
We do not store or process any payment information directly. All contributions are considered voluntary and non-refundable.
6. External Links
This website contains links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for their content, accuracy, or privacy practices. Following external links is at your own risk.
7. Data Protection
Your privacy is governed by our Privacy & Accessibility Policy. By using this site, you consent to the collection and use of data in accordance with that policy.
8. Accessibility
We are committed to making Forgotten Rights accessible to all users. If you experience barriers, please contact us at [email protected] and we will do our best to resolve them.
9. Disclaimer of Warranties
All information on this website is provided “as is” and without warranties of any kind. We make no representations about the accuracy or completeness of the content and accept no liability for errors or omissions.
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To the fullest extent permitted by UK law, Forgotten Rights and its authors will not be liable for any damages arising from the use or inability to use this website or reliance on any information provided herein.
11. Governing Law
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✅ Where to Put It in WordPress Dashboard → Pages → Add New → Title: Terms of Use. Paste the text above in HTML (Code Editor) mode. Click Publish. Add a footer link next to your Privacy and Disclaimer pages: Privacy & Accessibility | Disclaimer | Terms of Use | Contact ⚙️ Optional Enhancements Cookie banner plugin: Complianz or CookieYes will automatically link to these pages. Legal bundle menu: Create a “Legal” dropdown with: Privacy & Accessibility Disclaimer & Legal Notice Terms of Use“Benefit cuts will hit severely disabled people despite ministers’ claims, say charities” — The Guardian, 8 July 2025. Reports that planned cuts to Universal Credit fail to properly protect people with fluctuating or progressive disabilities. The Guardian
“Ill and disabled people will be made ‘invisible’ by UK benefit cuts, say experts” — The Guardian, 8 April 2025. A study warns hundreds of thousands of disabled people could lose access to support and essential services under reforms. The Guardian