Formed in June 1992, Disability Action North East (DANE) is a network of disabled people and their allies. DANE believes that the source of disabled people's problems is not bodies, minds or intellect, but society. Disability is a social oppression.

DANE supports the right of disabled people to be treated with respect and to have full control over the personal decisions which affect our lives. This means that we also support:

• comprehensive and enforceable civil rights
• action and legislation that promotes the rights of women, black people, working class people, lesbians and gay men and other oppressed groups in society
• full equality in paid employment and a realistic income for all disabled people not in employment
• the right of those disabled people who choose to live independently within the community to direct payments made to the individual to pay for personal assistance
• deaf culture and the use and recognition of British Sign Language

DANE is against:

• all forms of oppression surrounding gender, race, sexuality, class, creed and disability
• the discrimination, exclusion and disempowerment experienced by disabled people in employment, education, cultural and arts events, public transport etc.
• the systems which support the fact that disability often leads to poverty
• the exploitation of disabled people by charity
• the profits made out of disabled people's needs
• health and community care services' abuse of disabled people