Campaign news

The Department for Education has announced the next steps in its proposals to shake up how children with special educational needs and disabilities are supported in England. Whilst NDCS broadly welcomes some of the proposals in principle, the announcement comes at a time when significant cuts are being made and families are seeing support for their children vanish, along with aspirations for their futures.

An open letter in today’s Times expresses frustration over the lack of improvements in accessible telecommunication services for deaf people. NDCS is one of a wide range of organisations and individuals to have signed the letter.

The Government has announced that they intend to change the law on special educational needs and disabilities in England in a proposed Children and Families Bill. However, NDCS has warned that the Government's strategy may be built on quicksand in light of cuts to specialist educational services for deaf children across England.

NDCS understands that funding in England for specialist support services for deaf children will continue to be held by local authorities via the proposed new ‘High Needs’ block. NDCS is calling on the Department for Education to ensure this is clearly communicated to local authorities and to provide reassurance on a number of outstanding issues.

NDCS has recently responded to the UK Government's consultation on their plans to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for people aged over 16 with a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

The Department for Education have announced they are pressing ahead with changes to the way complaints against schools are handled, despite having not yet met a number of commitments made by Ministers last year.

After a long campaign by local parents of deaf children, Bristol council has agreed that Elmfield School for the Deaf will not close.

After hundreds of NDCS campaigners got involved, the UK Government has agreed to go ahead and change the law on auxiliary aids to help make sure deaf children get the help they need in school.