We Marched!
Our March: A Photo Essay
Our Access to Work march on Saturday 26th September was wonderful, with 1,000 people marching from Parliament Square to Downing Street via the Department of Work and Pensions, with a clear message: STOP MAKING CHANGES TO ACCESS TO WORK.
After dropping off a copy of our petition (signed by 20,000 people at that point) at Downing Street, we held a rousing rally at Richmond Terrace, where emphasis was put on working together and paving the way for today’s deaf and disabled children’s futures.
Here are some photos from the day – each one is captioned – thanks to Paula Peters and others:
#LetUsWork banner: getting ready to march…
Marchers lining up outside Parliament.
Stop the Cuts banner (with Claire Hill, our fab stenographer)!
Some of our lovely stewards getting everyone to line up, ready to march…
…And we were off! Marching around Parliament Square:
Outside the DWP (to chants of “Shame! Shame! Shame!”):
Marching down Whitehall with a rather magnificent BSL banner…
Arriving for the rally…
Stop Changes to AtW members handing over our petition at 10 Downing Street!
Rally: Our MC, John Walker, introducing Sean McGovern (TUC Disabled Workers’ Committee Co-Chair/Unite the Union)
Some of our interpreters and stenographer in full flow!
Jane Aitchinson (Unite the Resistance)
Jeff McWhinney addressing the crowd!
Tracey Lazard (Inclusion London)
Dawn Marshall (Becoming Visible)
Ray Johnson (People First)
Jen Smith (NUBSLI)
Jane Cordell (Result CIC)
Roger Lewis (DPAC)
Jenny Sealey (Stop Changes)
Ellen Clifford (Stop Changes)
… and the amazing crowd!
We wholeheartedly thank everyone who came and made the day such a success.
Our favourite links:
Our favourite links about our amazing march! (if you know of more, please tell us!):
Today’s Limping Chicken: http://limpingchicken.com/2015/09/28/jen-dodds-my-3-favourite-photos-from-the-access-to-work-march-bsl/
Friday’s Disability News Service: http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/marchers-to-warn-pm-that-access-to-work-cap-will-discriminate/
Photos on Demotix by Peter Marshall: http://www.demotix.com/news/8659800/deaf-and-disabled-march-retain-their-access-work#media-8659780
Photos on Demotix by Philip Robins: http://www.demotix.com/news/8656063/deaf-and-disabled-london-protest-access-work-funding-cuts#media-8655746
Finnish Deaf news! http://areena.yle.fi/1-3049395 (English translation below)
On 26 September in London deaf people gathered to protest because the government planned cuts in working interpretation funding. If the work interpretation is reduced, the deaf are afraid that the work interpretation shall be reduced, this will lead to the loss of existing jobs and have trouble finding work. The British Deaf community also collected more than 20 thousand names changes to oppose the changes.
INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
Click HERE to see our Facebook event page!
RESOURCES TO DOWNLOAD AND SHARE:
Flyer:
Online petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-changes-to-access-to-work
STOP CHANGES TO ACCESS TO WORK 
need set up petition of stop changes to access to work. I need because some deaf people holiday way need back up support reject stop to access to work.
There is already a petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-changes-to-access-to-work
Please sign and share.
Thank you.
thank you very much appreciate it
Sorry to learn of the potential changes.
I do hope the march will highten awareness and result in a U-turn by the government on this important issue.
Michelle
I am deaf and to be fair where I work now is very accommodating and have been just brilliant with everything, meeting rooms etc.
I worked in the nhs for 12 years and this was definitely not the case there. I was given kit not fit for purpose, incompatible with hearing aids, had kit arranged for me without access to work being involved and without me being asked did I need it, the kit they arranged was just unusable. The icing on the cake ended with me being turned down for promotion because I am deaf as the interviewing manager was fed up having to repeat things. Anything that stops this type of situation or makes something already difficult easier for other people has my backing. It is also very refreshing to see the union so involved.
This government has a lot to answer for in the way they treat vuneralble citizens, good luck on your protest.
Thank you!