However, the campaigner has said she will not accept the award due to concerns over how the UK Government had treated disabled people in the most recent budget announcement.
King Charles announced the New Year Honours List on Monday. (Image: Aaron Chown/PA Wire)
In a letter to the Cabinet Office, which was published to social media, Burke wrote:
“Despite being grateful that the life-changing work of my organisation, Glasgow Disability Alliance, has been acknowledged, I feel that I cannot accept a personal honour because disabled people are being so dishonoured at this time.
“In fact we are being demonised, dehumanised and scape-goated for political choices and policy failures by consecutive governments.
“Disabled people are becoming more unwell due to unfair, inadequate and inaccessible work, barriers to securing work, inadequate benefit levels and rising extra costs including backdoor taxation for social care support and rising costs like heating, clothing and vital independent living equipment.”
Burke said she was notified of the award on 26 November, the same day the budget was announced, which she described as ‘draconian’ for disabled people.
In the letter, Burke also hit out at cuts to the Motability scheme, which helps disabled people and their families lease cars, scooters, and powered wheelchairs.
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She wrote: “The budget includes no commitments for social care, accessible transport, adapted housing, education or national wheelchair services and this lack of investment and missed opportunity on disability related spending will deepen existing inequalities and leave disabled people facing exclusion, isolation, homelessness and unsafe care levels.
“The negative framing of disabled people, including references to ‘luxury’ cars and reforming welfare ‘so that it doesn’t pay to be off sick rather than work’ is misleading and belies reality.”