Started by Clare Norcott – Parent, Advocate, and Member of The Disability Union My granddaughter Lily is autistic and non-verbal, and I know how hard it is to find support that truly understands our children. That’s why I’m devastated that Hampshire County Council is planning to shut down The Aviary Nursery in Eastleigh – the only nursery in our area with a dedicated SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) hub. The Aviary is more than a nursery. It’s a place where children with complex needs are not just accepted – they are celebrated. It’s where skilled staff provide tailored care, where parents feel seen and supported, and where children like mine have the chance to thrive. If the closure goes ahead, families will be forced to travel as far as Winchester to access equivalent services. That’s miles away – completely unmanageable for many families, especially those already stretched emotionally and financially. We’ve come too far to lose a place like this. Every child deserves access to the right care, close to home. Don’t let our children become casualties of cuts and convenience. Please sign and share this petition. Together, we can save The Aviary.

Hundreds of thousands of people were already living with the chronic post-viral illness ME/CFS before the covid pandemic. COVID turned out to be highly effective at producing chronic post-acute illness: about half of the estimated two million people now living with Long Covid in the UK have all the symptoms of ME/CFS. Three quarters of sufferers are too ill to work or to be in formal education or training. A quarter are housebound or even bedbound and heavily dependent on care.  The burden on the economy of having so many people unable to work or train, some reliant on the care of others, will be measured in billions. The cost of ring-fencing funds for an effective research programme would be measured only in millions.   Living with ME/CFS is utterly miserable. Government investment in research could transform the lives of huge numbers of its citizens, enabling them to return to being active members of society and contributing billions to the economy. It makes sense on both the human and the economic level; to allow the present situation, in which ME/CFS research is massively underfunded compared to less common and less disabling conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinsons and rheumatoid arthritis make no sense at all.  Thanks to the psychologisation of the disease in the 20th century, there is still enormous prejudice in the medical and research communities: People with ME/CFS are “either depressed or mad” according to one senior medical researcher at Cambridge, based not on evidence but on institutional prejudice. This appalling reality is the reason that next to no research gets funded, and very few researchers are willing to risk their careers and reputations by getting involved.  This will only change if the government commits to ring-fencing research funding until the illness is understood, and effective treatments are found.  

Imagine your elderly neighbor, who uses a cane, getting slapped with a £100 fine just for parking for 5 minutes after hours to grab a pint of milk—while disabled residents face the same unfair treatment, struggling to navigate their daily lives. Although legal—it’s heartless, and it’s driving a wedge between the tuition centre and our community, including families who’d normally send their kids there. Shockingly, Google reviews are already flooded with similar complaints, showing how much goodwill they’re losing. We need to stop these predatory practices because they’re not only alienating locals but also setting a dangerous precedent for private parking firms to exploit vulnerable people—join me to demand change and protect our community’s spirit!

These cuts will place more barriers in the way of disabled people trying to access work, volunteering, education, training, day centres, social occasions, and much more. The enhancements to the statutory minimum have been a lifeline for many disabled people, granting them much more independence and reducing their financial burden. Please remember that not all disabilities are visible or physical.    The restrictions to the older person’s buss pass will also disproportionately affect those living in Hampshire’s most isolated communities that are already underserved by buses, and who are already struggling with the increasing cost of living.    In the long-term, these cuts will act to worsen the mental health crisis affecting Hampshire's communities by increasing isolation and the financial strain on the most vulnerable people.  This initiative is only saving £75,000 annually, which is a minimal saving in relation to the damaging social, health and environmental effects it will cause consequently. These changes prevent people in Hampshire from the right to 'live safe, healthy and independent lives', as per the county's strategic plan.    We therefore call on Hampshire County Council to immediately stop these changes and maintain the enhancements to its Concessionary Travel Scheme.

Raise Your Voice: Because Democracy Should Work for Everyone! Did you know that Disabled People make up 24% of the UK population, yet less than 2% of MPs are disabled? That means Parliament should have 12 times more Disabled MPs just to be truly representative. Is it any wonder that policies affecting Disabled People often miss the mark? The reality is, politics isn’t accessible. Many Disabled People can’t even get into the buildings where decisions are made, let alone run for office. And without fair representation, their needs are ignored. This isn’t just a disability issue—it’s a democracy issue. If one in four people in this country is disabled, why aren’t their voices shaping our laws?

This is important because thousands, if not millions of people depend on this benefit to maintain themselves. The Modernizing Support Green Paper also proposes changes to the Work Capability Assessment that denies those with mobility or mental health issues extra Universal Credit.

There must be thousands of pensioners who care for people who are now worse off when they need it most.

This is extremely important because the people of whom claim PIP rely on the benefit's cash income for everyday use. Including those who find it difficult to get around unfamiliar places independently, those who find it difficult to walk long distances without support, mental health problems (which in some cases is highly severe) and those with hidden disabilities who rely on the income to purchase items to help them with everyday life. If the benefit is reformed, it will impact a lot of disabled people and those with mental health problems who would lose their money for being unable to work due to either their disability or very severe mental health. This petition is to tell the work and pensions secretary to scrap the proposals to reform PIP because so many people rely on it and they need it to survive financially if they're to get anywhere in life. Charities such as Scope have grave concerns about the situation surrounding the proposals and they are very worried that those who are in desperate need of their financial support will lose out on vital benefits. The situation is very stressful and concerning for the families and claimants on PIP who could potentially have sleepless nights over the fact that their financial support through PIP would not be there for them if the proposals were to take place. Mental health problems could get worse and the proposals would have a very serious impact on those who are claiming PIP for various reasons wether it is mental health related or disability related. These people really need their income.

Children and Young People and their Parents and Carers urgently need this provision to be in place and accessible to all before the summer holidays start at the end of July 2024 so that children and young people can engage in meaningful activities when they are not at school or college, so that parents and carers can work, and so that parents and carers can have a break from their caring role. Since the closure of Extratime in 2023, the local authority has failed to produce a plan of action to provide short breaks and holiday activities for all children with SEND, the little that has been offered is not suitable for those with complex needs who need 1:1 support. This is contrary to the local authority’s legal duties and leaves Children and Young People and their families in crisis and struggling to cope. Without having adequate provision in place many families will not cope with the summer holidays and without adequate provision to allow parents to work parents may lose their jobs and many families will be plunged into financial and family crisis. This is likely to cost the local authority more in the long term if families in crisis results in more emergency placements for children and young people being required.

According to the Family Resources Survey (2021 to 2022), 16 million people in the UK have a disability. 11%, or 1.76 million of these are children. SEN children deserve the same opportunities as all other children but face many barriers to achieving these. Why does my child not have the same Opportunities to play as his sister does?

It would generate money for Dumfries and Galloway town and young people would have somewhere fun to go. The multiplex would allow people to spend money in the town and have a choice of different films to choose from. An accessible cinema would allow people with additional needs to not get exhausted from travelling 

I'm sick of not being able to see or hear my favourite artists and shows because I'm sat all the way at the back of the venue. And more often than not, there are no accessible areas anyway/they're all full because the venue only has 2-4 specific areas. I believe this should change.