News story

Seeking disability sector champions for 2018

The Office for Disability Issues is seeking business people to champion accessibility of products and services for disabled people.

This was published under the 2016 to 2019 May Conservative government

This news article was withdrawn on

We’ve withdrawn this item because expressions of interest were due back by midnight on Sunday 28 January 2018.

Are you a business leader? Are you passionate about accessibility? Do you want to encourage culture change within UK business? If your answer to these questions is yes, you could be one of the next Disability Sector Champions.

The Office for Disability Issues is seeking disability sector champions in 6 new sectors.

In February 2017, 11 sector champions were announced who are using their influential status as leaders in their sectors to drive improvements to the accessibility, and quality, of services and facilities in their sector.

However, while these champions have all made great progress on this agenda in their respective sectors, there is much more to do to provide equal opportunities and choice for disabled people across the whole of society.

So, we are issuing a call for business people to become sector champions initially for a year, in each of the following sectors:

  • trains
  • technology
  • insurance
  • fashion
  • leisure – pubs, restaurants and so on
  • arts and culture – for example, theatre, cinema, museums

It is our hope that these Champions will become a catalyst for change. We need champions who are ambitious, passionate and dynamic, with strong networks and the ability to reach out to a wide range of organisations and to create momentum for change.

We would be grateful for expressions of interest from people who are ready for this challenge, and would welcome the opportunity to work within their sector and beyond to deliver on these goals.

Express your interest

To express your interest, please download and complete the expressions of interest form:

Expressions of interest form: disability sector champion (Word-compatible)

Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email accessible.formats@dwp.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Email the form to fulfilling.potential@dwp.gsi.gov.uk (Office for Disability Issues).

If you have any enquiries, please contact us at the email address above.

Completed expressions of interest are due back by midnight on Sunday 28 January 2018.

Updates to this page

Published 8 January 2018