James Watson-O'Neill

Speaking at our event @jwatsononeill.bsky.social says that while the health and disability benefit reforms are now moving into technical weeds, the over-riding feeling from disabled people is that they are terrible, and that conversations with Ministers haven't made them feel any less terrible...

Event graphic for Britain’s new safety net Where are the Government’s welfare reforms heading? Tuesday 20 May 2025 9:30 am - 10:45 am

The Government's announced shake up of disability & health-related benefits has been hugely controversial. But where are these reforms heading?

@ruthcurtice.bsky.social will discuss w/ Stephen Brien, @jwatsononeill.bsky.social Richard Clifton & @louisemurphy.bsky.social
➡️ buff.ly/dmZ7uDJ

Please can I ask for your help?

We are working on the future of @sensecharity.bsky.social but we don’t want to do that on our own

I want to know what you think!

Please complete our 2 minute survey

forms.office.com/e/E6ngg1HPVX

Grateful to @mencap.org.uk and @jonsparkes.bsky.social for convening a meeting today with government ministers to feed back on their green paper

At @sensecharity.bsky.social we are very concerned about the cuts overall, especially the impact on disabled people with complex needs who may never work

Happy Sign Language Week! 🎉

Sign Language is more than words—it’s culture, history & belonging.

Get involved:
🔹 Go Blue! Fundraise with our pack: signlanguageweek.org.uk
🔹 Donate to Loss to Found & support deaf children
🔹 Share your story with #SLW2025

Do you have strong finance skills? Want to make an impact? We’re looking for a treasurer to join our board 👇🏻

Thank you! Fingers crossed

It's not too late to do the right thing with benefits and welfare, Labour told Sense warns that cutting disability benefits will plunge more people into poverty, but it’s not too late for Labour to do the right thing.

Help us into work, not poverty

Thank you @bigissue.com for the chance to share my views and our evidence from @sensecharity.bsky.social on how these cuts could impact disabled people’s lives.

www.bigissue.com/opinion/disa...

Absolutely agree! Really important that we keep explaining what these benefits are for and that we all work together to ensure we minimise the impact of any negative changes

Congratulations @lucywarnes.bsky.social !

I am so proud and I know that you are and will continue to be an amazing chief executive for @signhealth.bsky.social

A photo of around 20 people holding three Sense-branded placards that say “1.7 million disabled children need better social care laws.” Representatives in the picture are from disabled children’s charities and service providers from across the country who are fighting for a more equal world for disabled children.

Thank you to everyone who came to our social care workshop this week.

We heard that so many families with disabled children are in crisis, they’re burnt out and passed around by overstretched professionals.

Services they need don’t exist and the law doesn't work for them.

They deserve far better.

Almost half of parents of children with disabilities struggle to find a school that meets their child's needs Families are said to be at "breaking point" as they try to navigate the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) system to get their children the help they believe they need.

Disabled children are being failed by the SEND system. @sensecharity.bsky.social has worked exclusively with @skynewss.bsky.social to reveal the huge challenges families are facing. The government needs to put long-term funding plan in place and simplify the system. news.sky.com/story/almost...

I’m really proud to join the board of trustees at NCVO

Our sector is more important than ever and NCVO’s members have such an important part to play in our society

www.ncvo.org.uk/news-and-ins...

Cordis Bright and VODG | New Report on Impact of the Budget on Disability Charities VODG commissioned independent analysis by Cordis Bright on the impact of the budget on VCSE organisations providing disability care and support.

Let’s work together to try and find a solution.

The most important consideration is for the disabled people that @vodgmembership.bsky.social members support.

Disabled people deserve the opportunity to live great lives.

www.vodg.org.uk/resource/cor...

2 new inductees into the Signature Hall of Fame - Signature Celebrating the efforts of James Watson O'Neill and Dr Audrey Cameron and their dedicated contribution to accessibility for those in the deaf community

Thank you @signature.org.uk for this honour

I feel especially proud to be in the company of @aud2526.bsky.social who has achieved so much for deaf people, particularly her amazing work on the BSL Glossary Project

Thank you @signhealth.bsky.social colleagues!

www.signature.org.uk/2-new-induct...

go.bsky.app/9w8hwQD

Finally set up starter pack for deaf charities in UK so far so you can follow their content. Please DM if you need me to add any more here

A bright pink instructional graphic titled “How to sleigh alt text.” It includes colourful headings labelled Identify Who (in green), Expression (blue), Description (pink), Colour (red), and Interesting Features (grey). On the right side, there’s a sample alt text description in various colours that reads: “Santa Claus looking happy as he waves at the camera. He wears a traditional red suit and hat and has a long white beard and glasses. There are colourful lights twinkly behind him.” Below the text, a photo of Santa Claus is shown, waving with a big smile against a background of twinkling, colourful holiday lights

Alt text? Don’t worry, Santa’s elves have your back! Writing great alt text is simpler than you think.

Got questions? Ask our alt text elves!

A man and a woman stand shaking hands in front of a green banner

Today, SignHealth's Robin Ash met with
@laylamoran.bsky.social MP, Chair of the Health and Social Care Committee. This was a great opportunity to discuss the importance of lived experience and including deaf people in political decision-making.

I’m really proud of this joint work with @signhealth.bsky.social @rnib.bsky.social and several other great charities.

Things were meant to change eight years ago.

We need change now.

Kate Boddy: My campaign for Specsavers to provide BSL interpretation – in my late Father’s legacy – has been successful (BSL) I’ll never forget the day I started to see my Dad in a different light. It was July 2000, and I was sixteen years old. My Dad took me with him to London to campaign for the recognition of British S…

Kate Boddy is such an inspiring activist. She is making real progress in improving deaf people’s access to healthcare.

She has taken the awful experience of her father’s death and created positive change.

Kate, I salute you!

limpingchicken.com/2024/11/25/k...

A joy to be at the VODG AGM today with colleagues from across our membership watching the launch of our new report, in partnership with Collaborate, on reframing commissioning.

We all deserve the chance to live “gloriously ordinary lives”

www.vodg.org.uk

If you have children in a state secondary in London, or work for one, I can come and give a wee careers talk about what's it like working in the VCSE. It's nothing spectacular, but there is always a few lovely young people whose ears prick up when I eulogise about work with purpose.

Welcome

Yes, I’m biased, but this is a FANTASTIC job!

If you’re looking for the chance to lead an amazing group of people towards achieving real change, look no further!

www.signhealth-ceo.co.uk

Great to be here!

Healthcare Survey - SignHealth Tell us your experiences of NHS services and help us show how they can better meet the communication needs of deaf people.

If you are deaf we’d love to know more about your experience of accessing health services.

It’s a short survey so won’t take long!

signhealth.org.uk/health-wellb...

It’s nice here. Let’s make the world a better place. Together.

Thanks for the invite!