This informal CPD article, ‘Let’s Talk About Reasonable Adjustments & Access to Work’, was provided by West of England Centre for Inclusive Living, who offer a range of services which support disabled people every year – in all different areas of their lives.
All organisations legally under the Equality Act 2010 (1) are required to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that Disabled people are not put at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. For employers, often the challenge is not knowing what it means to be reasonable.
What is a reasonable adjustment
A reasonable adjustment is about need and not want; what is needed to enable someone to do their job successfully and not what someone wants? Remember, a reasonable adjustment is not a “nice” thing to have it is a necessity for that individual (2).
For example, it would be reasonable to provide information in a format that is accessible, allow someone to use noise cancelling headphones or have access to a quiet space if working in an open plan office - if they find the noise affects their ability to concentrate and to carry out their tasks. There is not a set list of reasonable adjustments, as they are very personal to the individual’s needs and to the role and business need.
What is important is that discussions around reasonable adjustments are happening. As employers you should be encouraging these conversations and ensuring that anyone with line management responsibility is confident to manage conversations on reasonable adjustment. It is also important that your internal processes are robust for managing and recording requests and the outcomes including clear reasons as to why a request has been rejected.
Access to Work
As employers, it is important to be supporting new employees to make Access to Work applications as soon as they have accepted the job offer as this will increase their chances of getting support sooner.
It is also important to note that whilst an employee is waiting for an Access to Work application to be assessed, they will need extra support to do their role. We need to support our Disabled staff if they are not getting the support or equipment they need.
Social vs Medical Model of Disability
Unlike the medical model, which focuses on a person’s condition, the Social Model of Disability (3) recognises that people are Disabled by barriers in society, not by their impairments. Most environments are designed by and for non-disabled, neurotypical people - creating obstacles to inclusion.
True inclusion means changing the environment, not the person. Therefore, by having reasonable adjustments in place as well as support or equipment from Access to Work, we are reducing the barriers and ensuring that Disabled people are not significantly disadvantaged in their roles compared to non-disabled people.
We hope this article was helpful. For more information from West of England Centre for Inclusive Living, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.
References:
- UK Equality Act 2010 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/15/contents
- https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments
- https://www.scope.org.uk/social-model-of-disability
