Sarah: Changing the Narrative

29/10/2026

THE UK AUTUMN BUDGET 2026: WHO IS BEING LEFT BEHIND?

Following Labour Chancellor John Healey’s Autumn Budget on 28 October 2026, political parties have been quick to debate taxation, welfare spending, economic growth and employment.

But where are disabled people in these conversations?

The Conservatives have focused on controlling spending.

The Liberal Democrats have raised concerns about carers and the financial penalties associated with working.

The Greens have called for greater investment in public services and fairer taxation.

The SNP and Plaid Cymru have questioned the impact of energy costs and regional inequalities.

Labour says it wants a fairer welfare system.

Reform UK is proposing substantial reductions in welfare expenditure and tighter disability benefit eligibility initially 50bn raising to 80bn

These are different political approaches, but all deserve scrutiny through an intersectional lens.

Disability does not exist in isolation.

A disabled woman caring for children may face different barriers from a disabled man living alone. A Black disabled person may experience racism alongside ableism. Someone living in poverty, in a rural community or in poorly insulated housing may face additional costs that others never encounter.

And Trans disability rarely gets a mention—while facing a backlash from stupidly wealthy, and which is completely out of proportion to the impact of being pushed into the margins of society despite being the tiniest marginalised community anywhere in the world meaning that the majority of people haven’t ever met a trans person. I have had the privilege a number of times and I value the privilege of having my ignorance treated in a gentle way while giving me information that I can take forward in my fight for intersectional justice. I am grateful to Jazzmin, Jayne and a few others I have randomly met briefly and to a a disabled mother who was able to discuss the failings in that school and not particularly the other students but the adults staff member. That mother’s story is heartbreaking ❤️‍🩹 in the negative impact on her daughter. Who now away from that small minded community is absolutely thriving in her life I totally congratulate Celine for her stoicism and her love of live a wonderful supportive family whose parents glow in pride in her chosen profession. We need to support each other’s fight because they are interwoven in society

And not everyone can work, regardless of how much employment support is offered.

Disability organisations are asking important questions about benefits, social care, energy costs and independent living. Their voices must be central to decisions affecting their lives.

The real test of any Budget is not simply how much money it saves or raises, but how its decisions affect the people who have the least room to absorb the consequences.

We need politicians across every party to explain how their policies will protect disabled people, particularly those facing multiple forms of disadvantage.

Because equality cannot be achieved by treating everyone’s circumstances as though they are the same.

Please like, comment or share to help this conversation reach more people.



Image description (alt text):
CTN graphic on a white background featuring the Changing The Narrative logo and Trexy, a cartoon character with ginger hair, a blue outfit and short arms.

Large, bold black text reads: “Equality cannot be achieved by treating everyone’s circumstances as though they are the same.”

Below a blue horizontal line, smaller black text reads: “Disability. Poverty. Race. Gender. Caring. Geography.”

An orange horizontal line completes the design.

Does it still make sense I want to post it today but I’m not sure I’m thinking straight after a severe D&Vand and accompanying severe pain so so  my input is a little less than it would usually be so if there are any errors or queries please don’t hesitate to get to me but don’t expect an answer before Friday please greatly appreciated. Also I love it if you talk about yourselves that’s what it’s all about gathering together and fighting against the harmful things that the big money wants to do and we know we are .

26/10/2026

Nigel Farage reportedly said that mental-health disability is being handed out “like Smarties”.

That isn’t evidence. It’s stigma.

There is no benefit called “mental-health disability”. PIP is awarded according to how a condition affects someone’s ability to complete daily-living and mobility activities—not simply because they have a diagnosis.

The independent Fonagy Review found that the increase in mental-health difficulties is real and affects people’s everyday lives. It did not find evidence that autism or ADHD is being overdiagnosed on a large scale.

Farage’s comment also reflects Reform UK’s stated policy of withdrawing unconditional financial support from many people it labels as having “mild” conditions.

But politicians do not get to decide that someone’s difficulties are mild from a diagnosis, a headline or a political platform. Many disabilities fluctuate, interact or remain invisible. Women and girls have also historically been overlooked or diagnosed late with autism and ADHD.

Language like this matters. It encourages suspicion of disabled people and creates political cover for removing vital support.

Disabled people deserve policies based on evidence, individual needs and human dignity—not ridicule.



Image description:
Square Changing the Narrative graphic with a white background, large black text and orange and blue accents. It reads: “Farage says mental-health disability is handed out ‘like Smarties’. That isn’t evidence. It’s stigma. PIP is based on how disability affects daily life—not diagnosis alone.” The Changing the Narrative logo appears at the bottom.

25/10/2026

22/10/2026

Many of us in the disability community have been worrying about the rhetoric that the media and politicians have been pushing against the disabled.

Channel 4’s The Experiment asks whether people might accept N**i-era ideas about disabled people if they were repackaged as a modern, “progressive” care model.

The visitors came from all walks of life. The disabled and neurodivergent actors’ performances were supported by Access All Areas and Graeae Theatre Company.

The newspapers I’ve read all recognise the Aktion T4 connection. The Guardian calls the programme disturbing and timely. The Times describes it as a “shocking exposé.” The Observer calls it an “unsettling triumph.” The Independent recognises the parallel too, but questions whether the experiment is fair or convincing, including whether 14 visitors are enough to support its conclusions. (theguardian.com⁠, thetimes.com⁠, observer.co.uk⁠, independent.co.uk⁠)

The visitors’ reactions were absolutely chilling. I felt physically sick when some of them seemed to think the model was a good idea. I especially appreciated the teacher who named it for what it was: eugenics.

So here is the question the documentary leaves with us: why do politicians and parts of the media so often frame disabled people as a burden, “scroungers” or a cost to society that must be solved?

Do we believe disabled people deserve support and have equal worth even when we cannot work or produce profit in a capitalist economy? Or are we valued only for what we can produce?

The N***s began systematically murdering disabled people in 1939. By August 1941, about 70,000 people had been murdered in gas chambers at the T4 killing centres. The N***s later murdered around 250,000 to 300,000 disabled people in total. T4 began before the systematic mass murder of Europe’s Jews, and some T4 personnel later worked at other N**i killing centres. Disabled people were among the first groups targeted for systematic murder. Could we be the canary in the coal mine when society starts measuring human worth by productivity? (encyclopedia.ushmm.org⁠)

I’m not saying Britain today is N**i Germany. I am saying we should pay attention when disabled people are reduced to a cost, and ask who benefits when the public is encouraged to see us that way.

I urge everyone to watch The Experiment on Channel 4 and ask themselves: how easily can cruelty be made to look like care?

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-experiment/on-demand/77319-001



Alt text for the link: Sophie Morgan and Mat Fraser sit at a desk watching several video monitors. The Channel 4 link preview reads “The Experiment.”

Sophie Morgan and Mat Fraser open an experimental residential home with a dark secret

22/10/2026

Autism presents differently in women and girls. They’ve been ignored for years. This is why people believe there’s an increase in diagnosis.