About us
Our aim is to break down the barriers faced by disabled people in the UK and to work across government to improve disabled people's lives.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for:
- bringing the views, insights and lived experience of disabled people to the centre of policy making
- helping departments to develop and monitor policies that remove barriers faced by disabled people
- supporting the Minister for Social Security and Disability
- co-ordinating the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities across government
Priorities
The Disability Unit, as part of the Office for Equality and Opportunity, is central to the government’s commitment to ensuring that every person, no matter their background, has access to the opportunities that allow them to thrive and be treated with respect and dignity.
Our top priorities include:
- delivering the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill, as set out in the King’s Speech
- ensuring that disabled people’s views and voices are at the heart of everything the government does – we will do this by building and maintaining relationships with disabled people and their organisations, stakeholders and colleagues across government, and using disabled people’s insights to drive real change
- continuing to promote British Sign Language (BSL) and the implementation of the BSL Act 2022, including by supporting the BSL Advisory Board
- improving the quality of evidence and data and using it, including disabled people’s lived experience, to support policies and how they are delivered
- ensuring that UK disability policy and disabled people are represented on international platforms, and promoting better understanding of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities across government
Who we are
We were formed in November 2019, bringing together the Office for Disability Issues and other experts from across government.
We are part of the Office for Equality and Opportunity in the Cabinet Office, with the Race Equality Unit, Women and Equalities Unit and Social Mobility Commission.
We are headed by Marcus Bell (Director) and Alex Gowlland (Deputy Director).