Promoting Disabled Peoples’ Careers: Access To Work

Forbes article by Nancy Doyle, Contributor. Organizational Psychologist specializing in neurodiversity.

Access to Work has been in place since 1994, a service provided by the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions. Its intent was to remove barriers to employment, or self-employment, by funding the adjustments required, but what are beyond those deemed reasonable for employers to address themselves. Initially, the barriers Access to Work could address were elements such as support workers, travel, British Sign Language translators or special aids and equipment; but since 2011 the Access to Work funding criteria has been expanded to include a new mental health support service and increasingly supports neurodivergent people with coaching and assistive technology.

It is really important to emphasise that the Access to Work award is a non-means tested discretionary award, it is not a welfare benefit. It is the only Treasury-funded initiative since its inception in 1994 that has sustainably reduced the disability employment gap and enabled disabled people to start and grow a business. It is the only place at the moment where disabled employees or self-employed disabled people can access non-means-tested grant funding for practical support which will enable them to get into and/or remain in an employed or a self-employed role. Access to Work has been pivotal to the success and growth of disabled people’s careers and is widely respected as a program that delivers tangible returns to the public purse.

Dr Shani Dhanda has partnered with Jacqueline Winstanley to form the “Access to Work Collective”, aiming to draw public attention to potential changes to Access to Work. They reported: “Towards the end of 2023 our members, (785 policy makers, academics, suppliers, employers, disabled employees and entrepreneurs, assessors, advocates and advisors) started to report a significant shift both in the intent and the administration of the award. We started to see awards/renewals/change of circumstance renewals which were lower than the recommendations by DWP appointed holistic workplace assessors. Adjustment awards have been reduced by 40-60% or removed completely. This is happening alongside delays of up to 12 months for new applications, renewals, change of circumstance renewals as well as by delays in payment for support workers, trainers, suppliers, aids, adaptations and wheelchairs, causing financial hardship for all concerned.”

There has been no official policy change or alteration to the published staff guidelines, but the Collective report that advisors are taking a harder line when considering allocation of the award. Their members have found that they are unable to take up new jobs, start and grow businesses, which has had a detrimental effect on their health and wellbeing. The “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper” and consultation which ran from 18th March to 30th June 2025, included proposals to reform access to work stating that it was unsustainable. There was only a short window of time to respond and a process within which consultation events were cancelled or limited in its remit and contained no consultation on the current and proposed cuts.

The Access To Work Collective ran a survey (N=251) to explore the impact of changes on disabled employees, entrepreneurs and employers. They found:

70% disabled people said they probably would not have or absolutely couldn’t have got into work, attended interviews or stayed employed without Access to Work.

74% of disabled people said Access to Work helped them stay in a job.

87% of disabled people said it has a major impact on their ability to stay in work or run a business.

100% of employers said their disabled staff would struggle to do their jobs without it.

78% of employers said it enabled them to hire disabled people by covering workplace adjustment costs.

67% of employers said they would not have been able to afford the necessary adjustments without it.

Going forward employers may be faced with meeting the costs of Access to Work for their employees on top of the recently introduced increase in National Insurance and Minimum Wage, making it even harder to employ disabled people. This is affecting business cash flow and stunting inclusive economic growth. Where an employer has the capacity to bridge the inevitable gap brought about by the current and proposed cuts in the Access to Work award they can help by doing so. There’s a perspective here that as so many advances in technology have reduced the burden of commuting, of sensory impairment barriers to knowledge transfer (e.g. voice activation) that these costs are more easily absorbed into the day to day running of a business.

However, in the current economic climate where there is a position of no hiring or firing within the workforce, this is not guaranteed. Where will this leave the careers of disabled employees? The Access to Work Collective advise employers to join their campaign and add their voice to support their disabled employees. The Collective currently includes a 45% disabled employees and 25% entrepreneurs, as well as suppliers, but only 5% employers. A diverse representation adds credibility and influences, this is a perfect activity for a disability and / or neurodivergent employee resource group (ERG).

Many disabled people choose self-employment because of inaccessible workplaces and discrimination they have experienced. This group rely on Access to Work to provide accessibility in technology and travel, for example, so that they can get their businesses going. Entrepreneurship drives national growth, so providing support for those with the ambition and confidence to innovate is a solid strategy.

The Access To Work Collective have brought together some reports for those who would like to look more at the research and evidence supporting Access to Work. Irrespective of government funding, these studies show that providing tools, technology and coaching for disabled people has a net benefit on productivity and growth for their careers, and their businesses. 24% of the UK population are disabled, when their career potential is prioritised there is a benefit to all of us.

Further Resources
https://www.universalinclusion.co.uk/images/Road_to_Wonder_Final_Report_2024.pdf
https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/work-foundation/publications/beyond-the-office
https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rpim20/current
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn06666/
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/news/access-work-policy-success-%E2%80%93-more-people-should-be-able-benefit-it
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/evaluation-access-work
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/evaluation-access-work-core-evaluation
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/evaluation-access-work-individual-budget-pilot-strand
https://www.employment-studies.co.uk/resource/evaluation-access-work-ministerial-government-departments