Find resources about changes to Access to Work and how you can share your experience with us.
Access to Work is a government scheme that can provide grants to remove barriers that Disabled people face at work.
When it works, Access to Work is a vital lifeline for Disabled professionals in the workplace. It levels the playing field in a way no other scheme can. It is currently not working as it should, in part due to major changes to the scheme.
Over the last year, there have been major changes to Access to Work. This page is to help keep you updated about the changes and showcase our ongoing campaign.
What you need to know:
- We encourage everyone to continue to check the Access to Work Factsheet for customers. There is important information about the requirements for claims, changes to the application process, and lead times there.
- The current wait time for individuals employed by a business or an organisation is 37.5 weeks, or about 9 months.
- The current wait time for freelancers or self-employed individuals is 67.5 weeks, or nearly 16 months.
- Payments are taking up to 20 days after a form has been correctly submitted.
- If you are currently receiving an award, you must have a OneGov account to submit your claim. This means you may need to upload additional identification documents.
- There is no longer a formal complaints email address. All complaints have to be made by telephone or by using a RELAY service to call their general contact line.
We know many members of our community are concerned about these changes and are worried about the impact on their Access to Work. At Graeae, we are also concerned and want to help support our wider community as much as possible.
We know this is a difficult time for our community. If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach out to SHOUT or text 85258.
What are the solutions?
We want to reiterate that we are passionate that Access to Work is a vital scheme for our community, but changes must be made to make it functional.
We believe these issues can and must be solved, so we are calling for:
- Transparent communication: Many Access to Work service users have reported having their award cut without prior notification and explanation. There must be more consultation around the nuance of Deafness, Disability, neurodivergence, Learning Disabilities, and chronic illness.
- Better investment in the scheme: There is currently a cap on the amount of funds an individual can receive, which leads to people having to turn down work and projects. These projects directly inject money into the economy and allow recipients to continue to grow their own careers.
- Wait times down to 12 weeks: The current waiting times mean people are forced to turn down work as they cannot self-fund for the access tools that are required to do their job.
- Significantly improve the experience for self-employed and freelance workers: Currently, the wait times are too long for self-employed workers, who do not have the infrastructure of an organisation or corporation to support or subsidise their access requirements.
- Accessible complaints process: Access to Work recently removed the option to complain via email. Instead, users must call in to make a complaint or use a RELAY service to call on their behalf. Phone calls are inaccessible to many people, this also means there is no paper trail when a complaint is made over the phone.
Gallery
Additional Information and Resources:
- Public Accounts Committee Hearing
- National Audit Office Access to Work Report
- Graeae Access to Work Survey
- Claims Process Updates and Resources
Community Responses:
We are sharing stories and creative responses from our community about the ongoing cuts and delays to Access to Work.
To the Good Ship Access to Work
Access to Work: A System That’s Neither Accessible Nor Working
Related
Access to Work, Community Response: A System That’s Neither Accessible Nor Working.
Access to Work, Community Response: To the Good Ship Access to Work
Access to Work cuts – Statement from Jenny Sealey