Thousands sign petition against cuts to tech support for disabled students in England
A petition against proposed cuts to tech support for disabled students in England has garnered nearly 10,000 signatures. The Department for Education plans to withdraw funding for specialist assistive software, claiming that free tools are sufficient. Disability advocates argue that this change could widen the attainment gap and negatively impact students' mental health and employment prospects.
- ▪The petition opposes the Department for Education's plans to cut funding for specialist assistive software.
- ▪In the 2023-24 academic year, over 88,000 students benefited from the Disabled Students' Allowance at a cost of £203 million.
- ▪Advocates argue that free, general-purpose tools do not provide the same level of support as specialist software.
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The software currently funded as part of the DSA includes specialist tools for text-to-speech, speech-to-text, mind mapping and composition. Photograph: Prasit photo/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe software currently funded as part of the DSA includes specialist tools for text-to-speech, speech-to-text, mind mapping and composition. Photograph: Prasit photo/Getty ImagesDisabilityThousands sign petition against cuts to tech support for disabled students in EnglandDfE plans to withdraw funding for assistive software, saying it is now rarely needed due to ‘widely available free tools’Sally Weale Education correspondentWed 3 Jun 2026 10.12 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleDisability campaigners have called on the government to halt plans to cut funding for specialist tech support…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Guardian — World.
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