Access to Work
What is Access to Work?
If you are thinking about recruiting a disabled person, you will know they have the skills and potential to do the work, but there may still be practical problems to overcome
Access to Work (AtW) is available to help overcome the problems resulting from disability. It offers practical advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the needs of an individual in a particular job. AtW does not replace the normal responsibilities of the employer to implement Health and Safety regulations or replace the responsibilities required by the Disability Discrimination Act.
How does it do this?
As well as giving advice and information to disabled people and employers, Jobcentre Plus pays a grant, through AtW, towards any extra employment costs that result from a person’s disability.
The Government’s Access to Work programme covers the costs of providing reasonable adjustments to disabled people in employment. Visual Access NI is fully supportive of the scheme as we believe that it helps businesses to employ disabled people, and demonstrates that the costs of workplace adjustments is usually very low.
If you have a member of staff with a disability or health problem which affects the kind of work they are expected to do and it is likely to last for 12 months or more, then the Access to Work scheme is available to overcome the practical obstacles resulting from disability. It offers advice and help in a flexible way that can be tailored to suit the needs of an individual in a particular job. Through Access to Work, The Employment Service can make a grant towards the approved extra costs that arise because of an individual’s disability.