From lived experience to lasting change: DAP begins work

The first-of-its-kind approach will put those directly affected at the heart of Government decision-making.

The Independent Disability Advisory Panel – first announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper – held its inaugural meeting yesterday and will work directly with Ministers on policies affecting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. This includes:

• Access to Work.
• Disability Confident.
• The Keep Britain Working Review recommendations.

Selected from over 300 applicants, the Panel hail from communities across Great Britain – spanning Scotland to the Southwest – and bring expertise in employment support, health services, disability rights and policy research.

Chaired by disability rights expert Zara Todd, the Panel will put disabled people’s needs and voices at the heart of the Government’s Plan for Change and help raise living standards.

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.

We will listen, we will learn, and together we will build a system that truly works for disabled people.

The Panel will run separately to the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment, and will have a wider remit across health and disability policy, but expertise and insight will be shared between the two.

Together, they demonstrate the Government’s commitment to ensuring disabled people’s voices and their lived experience shape policy design and delivery.

Chair of the Panel, Zara Todd, said:

I am really excited to be working alongside the other panel members who bring with them such a wide range of expertise.

The panel represents a much-needed opportunity for disabled people to shape and influence government policy which affects us.

The breadth and diversity of the panel membership will enable us to provide robust, independent and practical advice, all driven by lived experience.

Additional Information:

• Zara Todd was announced as the Panel’s Chair in August 2025.
• The Panel will also reach out into the community, connecting the department to further perspectives.

Panel Members:

• Laura Fulcher (Southwest) – Founder & CEO, Mission Remission.
• John Kerr (Scotland) – Employability Development Officer, East Lothian Council.
• Jeff Banks (Southeast) – CEO, Lightyear Foundation.
• Tracy Lazard (London) – CEO, Inclusion London.
• Nabila Gardner (Midlands) – Director/Founder, Ways for Wellbeing UK CIC.
• Molly Deakin (Yorkshire) – Policy and Campaigns Officer, Together Trust.
• Arun Veerappan (London) – Director of Research, The Disability Policy Centre.
• Noor Al-Koky (Southwest) – Senior Commissioning Manager, Gloucestershire County Council & NHS Gloucestershire.
• Damian Bridgeman (Wales) – Director, Freedom 365 Limited.
• Isaac Samuels OBE (London) – Community Campaigner and Co-production Advisor.

source: GOV