A Parent's Voice - Ensuring Fair Treatment for Disabled Children
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We’re sharing a blog today written from the perspective of a parent of a disabled child in response to recent public comments about equality legislation.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the parent author. They reflect a personal experience and the very real emotions that many families may recognise when discussions arise about legal protections for disabled children. They are not a formal policy statement from Little Miracles Charity.
At Little Miracles, we exist to support families navigating the day-to-day realities of raising a child with disabilities or life-limiting conditions. From time to time, we share the voices of parents and carers to help others feel less alone, to highlight lived experience, and to encourage thoughtful, respectful conversation about the issues that affect our community.
We hope you find this parent’s reflection insightful.
I wanted to write this blog, not as a policy expert or a political commentator, but as a parent of a disabled child.
Yesterday, when I saw Suella Braverman say that a Reform UK government would repeal the Equality Act 2010 and abolish the Equalities Department, my stomach dropped.
“On day one, we will get rid of the equalities department. We will scrap the Equalities Minister. And we will repeal the Equality Act.”
For some people that might sound like politics as usual. For families like mine, it doesn’t. It feels personal.
The Equality Act isn’t just something that sits in a textbook. It’s the reason my child’s school has to make reasonable adjustments. It’s the reason I have something to point to when my child is treated unfairly because of their disability. It’s the safety net I cling to when doors start quietly closing.
I know the Act works alongside the Children and Families Act 2014, which covers things like EHCPs. Together, they form part of the framework that protects disabled children in England — not just in theory, but in real, everyday life. When we’re fighting for provision, when we’re challenging exclusions, when we’re trying to make sure our children can simply access education like everyone else, those laws matter.
The Equality Act doesn’t create benefits or EHCPs. But it underpins how schools, local authorities, the NHS and other public bodies must treat our children. It means they have to think about the impact of their decisions. It means they have to make reasonable adjustments. And when they don’t, it gives families a route to challenge that.
For us, this isn’t abstract legislation. It’s the backstop when the system fails. It’s what we rely on when we’re told “there’s no budget,” or “that’s just our policy,” or when our child is made to feel like the problem.
I understand that nothing has changed right now. The Equality Act is still in force. Our children are still legally protected.
But hearing talk of “scrapping” equality protections is deeply unsettling. Families like mine are already exhausted from fighting for the basics. To suggest that the legal safeguards underpinning our children’s rights could simply be swept away feels irresponsible and frightening.
Disabled children deserve dignity. They deserve access to education and services that meet their needs. And parents deserve to know that when things go wrong, there is a clear legal framework to protect our children from discrimination.
I’m sharing this with you because organisations like Little Miracles are often the steady voice for families like ours. We need reassurance. We need advocacy. And we need people to speak up for the fact that equality protections aren’t political luxuries — they are lifelines.
I just want my child to be safe and treated fairly.