Frequently Asked Questions

Access to Work could give you a grant to help pay for things like:

•   specialist equipment and assistive software.
•   support workers, such as a BSL interpreter, a workplace coach.
•   mental health or communications support. 
•   costs of travelling to work if you cannot use public transport.
•   adaptations to your vehicle so you can get to work.
•   physical changes to your workplace.

Your workplace can include your home if you work from there some or all the time. Be sure to discuss this with the assessor. 

It does not matter how much you earn. If you get an Access to Work grant, it will not affect any other benefits you get and you will not have to pay it back.

You or your employer will need to pay some costs up front and claim them back later.

Access to Work does not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes your employer must legally make to support you to do your job. Access to Work will advise your employer if changes should be made as reasonable adjustments.

Access to Work is a grant scheme provided by the Department for Work & Pensions, which can help you to find or stay in work if you have any challenges that may be related to any disability, or any physical health or mental health conditions. The support you can get will depend on your needs. Through Access to Work, you can apply for:

• a grant to help pay for practical support with your workplace
• support with managing your disability or mental health at work.

To be eligible, you need to be in work and have something that makes it difficult for you to work efficiently. This doesn’t mean you need to have a formal diagnosis. Anxiety, back pain, problems with your memory or organisational skills can all be reasons to ask for help. You can be working in an apprenticeship, an internship or even a work trial. Providing it is paid work, you can apply.

Access to Work will need someone from your company to be on board with your application. If your company has more than 50 employees, it may need to contribute to the cost of your support. Talk with your line manager and/or your human resources about the things you feel would help you to work at your best.

You can make your application online. All you need to start is the name of your company, its address and a contact in the company who can confirm that the company supports your application. You will then have a series of short questions about what condition is leading you to make the application, how you get to work and what it is that is making it difficult to work efficiently. The questions are usually easy to follow.

Speak with your manager, HR, or call us. We know that some assessors are less proactive than others and want you to figure out for yourself what you need. We can help you with this. We can supply you with quotes and give you contact information for some of our partner companies who also help Access to Work clients.

You can call us between 9 and 5 on 01273 890502

Or send us an email at clientservices@geniuswithin.org. 

We are here to help.

If you receive Universal Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance or Income Support, you can still get help from Access to Work as long as you work more than one hour a week. If you are receiving Employment and Support Allowance, you can only get help from Access to Work if you’re doing ‘permitted work’. It’s permitted work if all the following apply:

• You earn up to £140.00 a week.
• You work less than 16 hours a week.
• It has been agreed with your work coach.

Your company may be liable for some of the support, depending on its size and how long you have been working there. If your company has between 50 and 249 employees, it will be liable for the first £500 of support and then 20% of the support up to £10,000. If your company has 250 employees or more, it will be liable for the first £1000 of the support and then 20% of the support up to £10,000. Access to Work will pay 100% of the support over £10,000.

Good news! Access to Work will fund your support completely if any one of the following conditions is true: 

• you have been working for your company for less than six weeks.
• your company has fewer than 50 employees.
• you are self-employed.
• you work in Mental Health Support Service.
• you are a support worker.

Regardless of the size of your company, Access to Work will always cover 100% of your grant for coaching and training. Your company will only have to share the cost for special aids and equipment, travel, and adaptations to premises or equipment.

Your grant will usually be agreed for 6 or 12 months and should be spent within that duration. In some cases, they may agree your grant for the maximum 3 years. If you have a series of coaching or training services that will go beyond the end date, you should contact Access to Work and ask them to extend your grant.

If you change roles, ordinarily your company can help you transfer any equipment. If you leave your employer, you will need to discuss with them as they may have contributed to the costs of equipment. You cannot automatically transfer awards for support workers or travel. You would need to contact the Access to Work team to discuss your new arrangements and update your grant.

You can renew your application up to 12 weeks before it ends. This can be done online or by phone and an assessor will get in touch to find out if anything has changed in your situation and what you would like to receive. Access to Work will support you for up to three years in total.

If you are self-employed or not involving any employer in your support, we can arrange a payment plan, where you can pay for a few sessions at a time and then claim the monies back, before paying for the next set of sessions.

Access to Work can pay for some services directly, however, you should be aware that it adds some delay to the process as they will not pay the value of the grant in full. We will work with you to manage the administration of this where possible.

Process:

1. Share a copy of your grant paperwork with us. We will use this to set up billing for Access to Work and ensure that the prices match your grant.
2. We will set you up with an account in our Portal.
3. We will send you a proforma invoice for the first two sessions of any series of services, e.g., any coaching services. You will need to submit this to Access to Work via the online claim portal or by post.
4. Access to Work will pay this invoice and we will then allocate you a coach, or one you have chosen, and you will start your sessions.
5. When you have finished session two, send a quick email to the Genius Within office team, clientservices@geniuswithin.org, and ask them to invoice your next two sessions.
6. Access to Work will then pay the next invoice and we will add another two sessions onto your account. Your coach will contact you to book you in.
7. Once again, message clientservices@geniuswithin.org when you’ve completed the next two sessions and we will arrange the next invoice, and so on until the sessions detailed on your grant are completed.

Timeline and formatting depend on the assessment type. Digital profiles like the Genius Finder™ take an average of 10 minutes to complete with instant reporting. Comprehensive cognitive, holistic, or autism assessments require deeper developmental case histories and may involve multiple testing sessions. To discover the right assessment route for you or your organisation, you can contact our Client Services team directly through our booking page. 

At Genius Within, we provide a full range of evidence-based neurodiversity assessments led by HCPC Registered Occupational Psychologists. Our services include: 

• Holistic Assessments: For formal diagnostic profiles of Dyslexia, Dyspraxia (DCD), Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, ADHD, and Autism.
• Workplace Needs Assessments: Focused on determining reasonable adjustments to support employees in their current roles. 
• Combined Assessments: A simultaneous diagnostic and workplace needs evaluation. 
• Positive Assessments: Short cognitive profiles that identify an individual’s innate talents, memory, and cognitive strengths. 
• Genius Finder®: A cost-effective, digital-first strengths profiler built for scalable workplace skills development and workplace neuroinclusion.

All of our cognitive and diagnostic assessments are led by highly qualified, professional HCPC Registered Occupational Psychologists. Our Autism assessments are conducted under a rigorous multi-disciplinary approach, involving two specially qualified psychologists working alongside clinical and neurodevelopmental specialists. 

A Workplace Needs Assessment is a structured consultation designed to identify reasonable adjustments that support an employee’s cognitive differences under the UK Equality Act 2010. Our Occupational Psychologists look at individual ability, work targets, the physical or digital environment, and daily tools. By consulting with both the individual and their line manager or HR representative, we recommend practical assistive technologies, environment tweaks, or coaching strategies to help the employee thrive.

A Holistic Assessment focuses on developmental histories and cognitive testing to provide a formal diagnosis or confirm a specific neurotype fit (such as Dyslexia, ADHD, or Autism). A Positive Assessment is a shorter cognitive evaluation that does not diagnose a condition. Instead, it measures verbal, visual, and spatial skills alongside memory types to Map out an individual’s “spiky profile,” giving them the clarity and confidence to leverage their innate strengths in education or careers.

Yes. The reports generated from our Workplace Needs and Combined Assessments outline clear, legally sound recommendations for “reasonable adjustments.” Under the UK Equality Act 2010, employers have a statutory duty to accommodate cognitive differences, and our expert-backed psychologist reports provide the exact roadmap HR teams and line managers need to comply confidently. 

Booking a session with a coach is straightforward.

Go to the “Our Coaches” page , and follow the steps outlined.

https://geniuswithin.org/our-coaches/  

Neurodiversity workplace coaching is a practical, psychology-informed service designed to help neurodivergent individuals maximize their strengths and overcome career-specific challenges. Unlike generic career coaching, our specialist neurodiversity coaches focus on practical, day-to-day workplace strategies—such as time management, organization, working memory, communication, and managing stress or performance concerns.

Our workplace coaches train extensively for over a year and are qualified to an ILM Level 5 (Institute of Leadership and Management) or equivalent higher standard. Crucially, our coaching team combines evidence-based psychological practice with lived experience—the majority of our staff are neurodivergent or disabled themselves, ensuring deeply empathetic, practical support. 

Our qualified workplace coaches are highly trained specialists across all neurodivergent conditions and cognitive profiles. We provide tailored support for individuals with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Tourette syndrome, tics, anxiety, stress, and acquired cognitive differences (such as brain injuries or long COVID). 

No, you do not need a formal or official diagnosis to access coaching with Genius Within. We support individuals who are self-identified, awaiting assessment, or simply looking to understand their cognitive profile and build sustainable workplace strategies.

Yes, Genius Within coaching can be funded through the UK Government’s Access to Work scheme. If you have been awarded Workplace Strategy Coaching as part of your Access to Work grant, you can use your funding to secure sessions with our specialist neurodiversity coaches. 

Our evidence-informed coaching yields proven, long-term results. On average, our clients report a 61% improvement in their target workplace focus areas, while line managers report a 47% improvement. Furthermore, over 95% of our coaching clients retain their jobs one year after completing their program, and 20–25% secure promotions.

For employers, HR managers, and occupational health providers, neurodiversity coaching is a proactive and structured way to support employees, improve staff retention, and boost productivity. Our coaches understand HR law and workplace performance management expectations. We help turn performance or communication challenges into mutually agreed, measurable outcomes before workplace situations escalate. 

Co-coaching is a specialized service developed by Genius Within to help employees and line managers work together more effectively. If a workplace relationship or performance issue has become strained, a coach systematically breaks down tasks and communication barriers. Both the employee and the manager agree on practical, measurable strategies and reasonable adjustments to build a sustainable working environment.

Yes, we provide Group Coaching for cohorts such as new starters, specific teams, or peer support groups. Over a series of sessions, group coaching allows participants to share lived experiences and build strategies around core workplace topics like concentration, executive functioning, communication, and wellbeing.

Yes. We offer dedicated Leadership and Executive Coaching tailored for senior leaders, business owners, and managers who are neurodivergent or lead neurominority teams. This coaching focuses on high-level strategy, neuroinclusive management styles, building confidence after difficult experiences, and leveraging unique leadership strengths.