Great news: Molly Deakin, Policy and Campaigns Officer at Together Trust has just been appointed as one of the ten experts with lived experience of disability and long-term health conditions to join the Government’s Disability Advisory Panel!
Molly’s campaigning work at the Trust has been focusing on the rights of children in care and disabled people – writing responses to government consultations and contributing to Get Britain Working White Paper , researching emotionally-based school avoidance, looking into changes on specialist school provisions, analysing the 10-year Health Plan, and more.
She says “I’m thrilled to be starting as a member of the first Independent Disability Advisory Panel and to bring both my lived experience and the voices of the people supported by Together Trust into the work.
The current system is failing people with disabilities and long-term health conditions and change is urgently needed. I’m excited by the opportunity to help shape meaningful reform and hope the panel will form an integral role in shaping a fairer and more inclusive system.”
We are incredibly proud of Molly’s appointment as one of ten panellists, selected from over 300 applicants. Her work, both inside and outside the Trust, to support the rights of disabled people has already made a significant impact and we’re looking forward to hear about her contribution to the Panel chaired by disability rights expert Zara Todd.
The Disability Advisory Panel, first announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, was created to address the underrepresentation of disabled voices from the decision-making process. The aim is to make sure that disabled people are at the heart of the conversation when it comes to their own rights and provisions.
In a press release issued by the Department for Work and Pensions on 23 January 2026, Minister for Social Security and Disability Sir Stephen Timms, said:
Far too often, decisions about disabled people have been made without them.
We are changing this. This Panel brings together years of experience and valuable insight. The voices of disabled people will count because they will be in the room where decisions are made, and where policies are shaped
