James Gretton, Southampton Socialist Students
The Department of Education’s plans to withdraw Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) funding for specialist assistive software are an affront to students everywhere, who continue to burden the cost-of-living crisis with mounting debt and tuition fees. Disabled students struggle with mental health, employment and inclusion, and need both the financial and technological resources like DSA to pursue their studies without fear of roadblocks. These plans are ongoing, with the consultation closing on 18 June, and they reflect a wider pattern of governments neglecting disabilities in education. SEND (special education needs and disabilities) budgets for pupils are underfunded after over a decade of cuts, and councils fail to combat the root causes of why they cannot meet their statutory duties – that the funding received from central government is inadequate.
A report found that in the 2019-20 academic year, only 29% of disabled students in England and Wales received DSA, based on data from the Student Loans Company (SLC). Some disabled students assume that others are more deserving, and so they shouldn’t apply. These are damaging attitudes which no society should be harbouring, especially not one with the wealth and resources to ensure every disabled student is supported and able to thrive.
Disability campaigners have launched a change.org petition calling for the DSA plans to be halted, already nearly 10,000 people have signed. If we unite and fight against these attacks, we can win. In 2025, Starmer’s government attempted swingeing cuts to Personal Independence Payments (PIP). Restricting PIP eligibility criteria was met with strong opposition from campaign groups and trade unions.
Ultimately, pro-capitalist parties like Starmer’s Labour prioritise short-term savings and the bosses’ profits over the wellbeing and education of the vast majority of society. They must be confronted with a mass movement, linking the fight for disabled students to have the software, hardware and welfare to thrive to the fight for free education and the resources for all of us to access it.
