King’s Speech 2026: What was included and what does it mean for blind and partially sighted people?

Education and SEND

What was announced

An Education for All Bill will introduce reforms to the SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) system in England, alongside ongoing consultation. Proposals include:

• Individual Support Plans for every child with SEND
• Making mainstream settings more inclusive
• National Inclusion Standards
• A national EHCP (Education, Health and Care Plan) template
• Transitional protections aiming to avoid loss of support

What we think

We welcome the UK Government's commitment to deliver a more inclusive mainstream system. It’s essential the proposals explicitly address the needs of children with low incidence, high need disabilities such as vision impairment (VI). For this, it’s vital the Department for Education works in partnership with the sensory impairment sector and families.

The proposal to develop National Inclusion Standards is an important step in addressing inconsistency. The Curriculum Framework for children and young people with Vision Impairment (CFVI) is ideally placed to underpin these standards. The CFVI provides a clear, evidence based framework for what good provision looks like, supports consistency across areas, and strengthens collaboration between specialists, non‑specialists, and families.

But these reforms will not work without enough specialist staff. A dedicated SEND workforce strategy is urgently needed to address shortages in QTVIs (Qualified Teacher of Children and Young People with Vision Impairment), habilitation specialists, and specialist support staff.

Finally, accessible curriculum resources must be widely available. Services such as RNIB Bookshare play an important role in enabling children with print disabilities to access the same materials as their classmates, supporting both attainment and inclusion.

Transport

What was announced

Legislation will be brought forward covering rail reform, taxis and private hire vehicles, air travel, and major infrastructure projects. Plans include:

• Establishing Great British Railways (GBR)
• Creating a Passenger Watchdog
• Moves to simplify rail fares and ticketing
• Updating taxi and private hire regulation to improve safety and accessibility

What we think

We welcome the creation of a Passenger Watchdog for train travel, and its potential to champion passengers’ rights. However, to work for blind and partially sighted people, it needs strong powers and input from people with lived experience.

Simplifying fares and ticketing could significantly reduce confusion and inaccessibility for disabled passengers, provided new systems are designed accessibly. Ticketing was often raised as a key issue in our recent reports on getting around.

Commitments to improve the accessibility of taxi, private hire and aviation services are encouraging. Disabled passengers are disproportionately affected by current barriers leading to poor experiences, such as for travellers with guide dogs.

NHS and health

What was announced

An NHS Modernisation Bill will introduce a Single Patient Record, and will abolish NHS England, as announced last year, aiming to make the health system more efficient. The bill also transfers the commissioning of ophthalmology to Integrated Care Boards.

What we think

The move towards a Single Patient Record in England could be a positive change for blind and partially sighted people. Too often, medical records aren’t kept on the same systems by health providers. Joined‑up records can reduce the need to repeat medical histories, limit unnecessary tests, and improve continuity of care.

Crucially, patient records must capture communication and accessibility needs, such as required formats (large print, audio, email or braille), something we have campaigned on for many years and through our ongoing My Info, My Way campaign.

What we’ll be looking to see is whether these changes start to strengthen preventative care. For example, delays in diagnosing and treating glaucoma remain a serious issue. Earlier intervention is essential to prevent avoidable sight loss.

Cost of living

What was announced

The UK Government pledged to increase long‑term investment in social housing and to reform the leasehold system, including capping ground rents.

An Energy Independence Bill was also announced. The UK Government says the Bill will cut household energy bills by around £90 a year on average and enable targeted support for low‑income and vulnerable households when needed.

What we think

We welcome the commitment to long‑term investment in social housing, as blind and partially sighted people are around three times more likely to live in social housing, making quality, security and affordability essential. We also welcome the steps on energy, as high energy costs disproportionately affect people with sight loss, many of whom rely on consistent energy use for assistive technology and everyday independence. Targeted support for low‑income and vulnerable households is vital, and RNIB has long called for stronger protections through a social energy tariff.

Welfare and benefits

What was announced

The King's Speech reiterated the importance of the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which is currently underway, and will report later this year. Meanwhile, there was a pledge to continue reforming the benefits system to support young and disabled people into work, with a review to be published in the next few weeks.

What we think

Many blind and partially sighted people want to work, but inaccessible recruitment processes, limited employer awareness and poor access to assistive technology remain significant barriers.

While the ambition to support more disabled people into work is welcome, it must not come at the expense of essential financial support. Blind and partially sighted people must be able to meaningfully shape the Timms Review so the system reflects the realities of sight loss, treats people with dignity, and delivers timely and accurate decisions.

Digital ID

What was announced

A Digital Access to Services Bill will introduce a free and voluntary Digital ID which would be a way to access public services and the GOV.UK app.

What we think

Digital ID needs to be designed accessibly from the outset. Current online identity checks rely on photo capture, document scanning, and facial biometrics, which often exclude people with sight loss. We know this has been an increasing problem since new measures were introduced through the Online Safety Act 2025.

The Digital ID system must be co-designed with blind and partially sighted people and meet accessibility standards, otherwise it risks widening inequality rather than reducing it.