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Disabled people who want to become MPs are to be given funding to help them into Parliament.
Ministers say the fund is part of a £1m package aimed at helping disabled people who want to become MPs, councillors or other elected officials.
The plans include the creation of a mentoring programme that will allow aspiring disabled politicians to learn from people who have already made it to the top.
Theresa May, who is equalities minister as well as home secretary, said it was not fair that someone who has the right to take an active role in our democracy is prevented from doing so simply because they are disabled.
"Disabled people are under-represented in politics, and this package of support will help remedy that," she said.
And constitutional reform minister Mark Harper said diversity of talent and experience was "vital" in politics and the government was committed to tackling barriers that prevent under-represented groups from participating in political life.
"No-one should be denied the opportunity to participate in our democracy just because they are disabled, and addressing this is an important part of our commitment to reforming and restoring trust in our politics as a whole," he said.
The government has also launched a consultationon the plan in which it notes that the number of MPs who have declared themselves as disabled is very low compared to the proportion of disabled people in the population as a whole.
To be representative of the population Parliament could be expected to have 65 MPs who were disabled.
The consultation also warns that there is a "mistrust of Parliament" among disabled people in relation to its ability to seriously address disability issues.
Last year the Speaker's conference on parliamentary representation concluded there was "overwhelming evidence" that shortage of money and the necessity of additional expenditure to support disabled people through candidacy, make finance a particularly significant barrier to elected office for disabled people.
The move has been welcomed by disability charities, including Richard Hawkes, the chief executive of disability charity Scope, who said he was "delighted" the government is proposing to introduce more financial support to help disabled people who want to take part in public life.
"Disabled people want to enrich our political debate but continue to be under-represented in public life due to a range of barriers they face, including negative attitudes and increased costs if they require specific equipment or support," he said.
Tory MP Paul Maynard, who suffers from Cerebral Palsy, recently alleged he had been mocked for his disabilityby Labour MPs in the chamber.
Hawkes said the reports, if true, were "disappointing" and said it showed a lot of work needed to be done to break down the barriers to disabled people entering Parliament.
Several Labour MPs have insisted their colleagues would not have deliberately made fun of someone for having a disability and said those accused may have been unaware that Maynard had Cerebral Palsy.
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