Work and Access

Work and Access is a set of supports to help people with a disability get a job or stay in work. The supports aim to remove or reduce barriers in the workplace for people with a disability.

Supports for Jobseekers, Employees, Self-Employed include:

• Workplace Needs Assessment, to assist in identifying the need for additional supports
• Communication Support, for interview and in work
• In-Work Support, to help you perform in your position
• Personal Reader, to assist you in work
• Work Equipment, to assist you in your job

Work and Access employer supports include:

• Workplace Needs Assessment, to assist in identifying employees need for additional supports
• Workplace Adaptation, to accommodate additional employee needs
• Disability Equality and Inclusion Training, to provide employers and organisations with access to training for staff, to gain a better awareness and understanding of disabilities in the workplace

Work and Access supports replace the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. A review of the two schemes was published in August 2023 and made a set of recommendations. Work and Access was developed to address the recommendations from this review.

To be eligible for Work and Access, people with a disability must meet the following conditions:

To be eligible, you must meet the following conditions:

1. You need to be over 18 and within legal working age

2. You must work in one of the following ways:

• full-time or part-time – at least 8 hours a week or 32 hours a month
• self-employed
• work experience (6 months or more)
• internship (6 months or more), or
• apprenticeship
• you can also apply if you have a job offer letter, a job start date or a letter confirming a job interview

3. You must be working or looking for work in the Republic of Ireland in any sector apart from the public sector

4. You must have a disability or long-term health condition that impacts on your ability to work

The disability or health condition must be likely to last longer than 12 months. You must:

• be able to provide professional evidence confirming your disability or health condition and stating that it is likely to last longer than 12 months

Or

• be getting a long-term disability payment

Work and Access is not available to people who:

• do work that is not paid, like voluntary roles

Or

• work in the public sector. Costs for public sector workers who need reasonable accommodations should be met by their employer

Eligibility for an employer or self-employed person

To be eligible, an employer or self-employed person must be:

• private sector
• community, not-for-profit, and voluntary

Or

• self-employed. You are considered self-employed if you:

◦ operate a business on your own account or in partnership

◦ work for an employer on a self-employed contractual basis, or

◦ operate a franchised business on a self-employed basis

Recognised by Revenue

You must be a legal entity and/or a charity (with a CHY number) recognised by the Revenue Commissioners.

Tax compliant

You must supply a tax clearance access number (TCAN) when you apply for a copy of your tax clearance certificate. Before a payment is made, we must check your TCAN. If we cannot validate it, we cannot issue a payment. You can download your TCAN directly from ros.ie or through your accountant.

If you are:

• a new employee or existing employee
• in employment
• self-employed

you or a person acting on your behalf, can apply for funding for a Workplace Needs Assessment.

The scheme pays up to €2,500 of the eligible costs to carry out the assessment.

A Workplace Needs Assessment is used to identify the adjustments that can be made to the workplace to remove the barriers you experience or may experience in carrying out your job or returning to work. You must get a specialist to do a Workplace Needs Assessment.

Communication Support is also available if needed to help an assessment take place. Please go to the section on Communication Support for more details.

The Assessment

Part 1 - The assessor must consider the employee's specific needs as well as the job role, disability, and workplace environment when assessing the tasks involved in the job.

Part 2 – The assessment and recommendations:

• the assessment must outline each barrier and make evidence-based recommendations, identifying the accommodations and training required, for example through assistive technology or hiring a Personal Reader, or In-Work Support
• the assessment should be completed with the employer, the employee, and their advocate or representative, if appropriate
• to implement the recommendations, the employer and employee may get one or more of the support elements available through the scheme

How to qualify

To get a Workplace Needs Assessment, you must meet the general eligibility requirements for Work and Access.

Work and Access pays for:

• eligible costs to carry out the assessment, and
• up to 10 hours communication support for contact hours with the specialist(s), if needed

Sourcing an Assessor

You are responsible for finding the assessor, who must be suitably qualified and experienced in occupational evaluation or workplace assessment. The assessor must understand disabilities to ensure that their recommendations include the latest technologies and advancements.

Assessors who are a member of the employer’s own staff or associate company and are suitably qualified may complete the assessment but are not eligible for funding.

Suitably qualified specialists include:

• Occupational Therapist
• Occupational Psychologist
• Occupational Physician
• Occupational Health Nurse or other Occupational Health Services Professional
• Rehabilitation Nurse
• Ergonomics Specialist
• Chartered Physiotherapist of Ireland

The assessor should be registered with a relevant professional body such as the Register of Health and Social Care Professionals (CORU) or The Association of Occupational Therapists.

Apply for Work and Access

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

An employee, a self-employed person, or a person acting on behalf of the employee can apply for funding for Communication Support, such as a job interview, job induction, and for further workplace communication support.

How to qualify

To get Communication Support funding, you must meet the general eligibility requirements for Work and Accessand have a communication support need.

You can use this support if you:

• are Deaf or hard of hearing and need an Irish Sign Language interpreter (ISL), lip-reader, or other interpreter

Or

• have a disability or health condition and need communication support, for example a Lámh support worker

The interpreter must be a registered Irish Sign Language interpreter with The Regulatory Centre for Irish Sign Language Interpreters.

Supports available:

Pre-interview support - 1 hour

An eligible job candidate can use this support to pay for a 1-hour long familiarisation session to prepare for the interview with their interpreter.

Interview support - 3 hours

An eligible job candidate can use this support to pay for up to 3 hours for interpreter support for a job interview. There is no limit to the number of interviews you can attend with an interpreter or communication support worker. To apply for interview supports, you must have a letter or email from your potential employer or a recruiter confirming your interview.

Induction support - 12 hours

An eligible employee who is new to their post can use up to 12 hours of job induction support to pay for an interpreter within the first 12 months of their new appointment. This support can be used for job induction activities such as reviews. To apply for job induction and for ongoing workplace communication support, the employer must sign off on the employee’s application.

Ongoing support - 24 hours

An eligible employee who is either new to their post, or in an existing employment, can use up to 24 hours of this support to pay for an interpreter over a 12-month rolling period. The support can be used to assist with workplace communication and can be used in addition to the induction support.

Communication support for a Workplace Needs Assessment - 10 hours

This communication support is only available to a person who requires support for a Workplace Needs Assessment to take place.

Communication support for In-Work Support - 30 hours

This communication support is only available to a person where a Workplace Needs Assessment recommends that it is needed.

The interpreter can attend in-person or remotely. The disabled person's preferred attendance format should be accommodated where possible.

You can apply for all the communication supports available. For example, you can apply for job induction and In-Work Support in addition to assistance at the job interview stage.

Apply

To apply for the Communication Support you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

A Workplace Needs Assessment must be carried out before someone can avail of the In-Work Support.

A new or existing employee or a self-employed person can use this support if they have a disability or health condition, which needs a work coach, specialist or other support worker, such as a Lámh support worker, to help them to perform successfully in their job and/or re-training to move to another position.

Once approved, an employee or self-employed person can get the services of a suitably qualified work coach, specialist (for example, an Occupational Therapist) or other support worker such as Lámh support worker. Direct payment will issue to service provider.

Supports available

The scheme provides funding towards work coach, specialist services or other support such as provided by a Lámh support worker. If needed, a communication support can be used along with this.

The Work and Access In-Work Support pays for:

• up to €12,500 per year for a work coach, specialist(s) support or other support such as Lámh support
• up to 30 contact hours Communication Support with the In-Work Support provider, if needed

Eligibility for funding is based on a Workplace Needs Assessment. The assessment only provides recommendations, it does not authorise funding. The department must approve funding in advance of accessing these supports.

How to qualify

To get In-Work Support you must meet the general eligibility requirements for Work and Accessand have a Workplace Needs Assessment

which shows that you need this support.

Sourcing a specialist support worker

• the work coach or specialist support worker(s) must be suitably qualified and/or experienced, with a proven record in occupational evaluation or workplace assessment and an evolving understanding of disabilities, to ensure that they provide a good service
• a Lámh support worker must be suitability qualified and/or experienced
• a work coach or specialist who is a member of the employer’s own staff or associate company is not eligible for funding
• suitably qualified specialists include:
• Occupational Therapist
• Occupational Psychologist
• Occupational Physician
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Ergonomic Specialist
• Chartered Physiotherapist who may provide once-off or occasional consultations
• there is no pre-approved list of suitably qualified specialist providers. Specialist(s) should be qualified and, where applicable, registered with a relevant professional body such as the Register of Health and Social Care Professionals (CORU) or the Association of Occupational Therapists of Ireland

Training services for In-Work Support

An employee or self-employed person can get the services of suitably qualified training providers. The following conditions apply:

• the training need must be identified by a Workplace Needs Assessment
• the training must not already be provided by the department directly or by any other state provider (such as Solas/Education and Training Boards, Teagasc)

Apply

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

If the application is approved, the department provides funding to pay the service provider directly.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

An employee/self-employed person, or a person acting on behalf of the employee, can apply for support for a Personal Reader to assist them with their work-related reading.

An employee or self-employed person can use this support if they are blind or visually impaired and need help with reading as part of their work duties.

How to qualify

To get a Personal Reader support you must meet the general eligibility requirements for Work and Access.

Support available

An eligible employee can use this support to hire or get the contracted services of a Personal Reader, who is business registered and tax compliant.

Work and Access provides funding to the Personal Reader in line with current minimum wage and depending on the needs of the employee.

To get the Personal Reader support, a Workplace Needs Assessment may be needed.

The employee must source their own Personal Reader. This person does not need to be qualified.

The Personal Reader must not replace any reading help normally given by work colleagues, relatives, or friends.

Apply

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

If the application is approved, the department provides funding to pay the agreed costs of your Personal Reader. You will need to complete and return a Personal Reader support claim form at the end of each month when you are using this support.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

A new or existing employee or a self-employed person can apply for funding to cover the costs of assistive equipment or technology needed for them to work or keep working in their business premise and/or remote-working premises.

Note: Adaptations to equipment are funded under the Workplace Adaptations support.

The employer or self-employed person will be needed to support and sign off on the application to source and buy the approved equipment and claim reimbursement from the department.

In all cases, the person with a disability keeps ownership of the equipment unless it has been integrated into the equipment of the employer.

The support cannot be used to fund equipment usually provided by employers and includes any item which would normally be needed to do the tasks of the job.

It cannot be used to:

• fund employer obligations required under law, such as:

- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 - Health and Safety Authority (hsa.ie) (as amended)

- Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 – see information in The Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015 – A Summary - IHREC - Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

• meet the usual costs of setting up and running a business for either an employer or self-employed person
• fund job specific equipment usually provided by employers

How to qualify

To get funding for work equipment you must meet the requirements for Work and Access.

An employee or self-employed person can use this support if they have a disability or health condition and need assistive equipment or technology to work.

The scheme pays:

• up to €12,000 towards the cost of assistive equipment or technology for the business premises, including training
• up to €12,000 towards the cost of assistive equipment or technology for the remote-working premises, including training, if specialist training for the equipment is required

Supports available

The Work and Access work equipment support can provide support:

• towards the cost of assistive equipment or technology for the business premises, including training, and
• towards the cost of assistive equipment or technology for the remote-working premises, including training, if specialist training for the equipment is needed

Examples of assistive equipment or technology include:

• specialised furniture
• alternative keyboards
• screen magnifiers
• induction loop systems
• amplifiers for telephones
• sip and puff systems
• screen-reading software
• voice recognition software
• real time captioning systems
• licence renewal of assistive software

Software licence renewal can be claimed annually but the employee or self-employed person must apply for this funding and get approval in advance of buying the licence.

Assistive technology must be compatible with workplace devices/systems before buying.

Apply

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

This support is designed for people with a disability who need modifications to their workplace to enable them to get or stay in a job.

An employer, together with their employee, or a self-employed person, can apply for funding to cover the costs of necessary adaptations to equipment, technology, or a business premises (which is not a person’s home).

A Workplace Needs Assessment is required to support the claim for a Workplace Adaption support.

Once full approval is granted, the employer will procure and buy the approved adaptation and claim re-imbursement from the scheme.

The scheme pays up to €25,000 towards the cost of adapting equipment, technology, and the business premises (which is not a person’s home).

Examples of adaptations:

• minor modifications such as ramps or toilets
• alarm systems with flashing lights

The support cannot be used to:

• pay for equipment or adaptations usually provided by employers. Such equipment is any item which would normally be needed to do the tasks of the job, whether the person doing the job has a disability or not. Such equipment depends on the individual job circumstances
• pay for supports required under law, such as:

- Building Control Acts 1990 to 2014

- S.I. No. 487/1997 Building Regulations 1997. In particular, Building Regulations 2010 Technical Guidance Document M

- Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 (as amended)

- Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015which includes obligations with respect to accessing premises, sanitary facilities, parking and other factors for people with disabilities where the workplace or business also has public access

• to meet the usual costs of setting up and running a business for either an employer or self-employed person
• funding for adaptations to their home even if it is the employee’s primary workplace. To get funding for adaptations to their home, an applicant can apply for the Housing Adaptation Grant with the Department of Housing, Local Government and HeritageDepartment of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

How to qualify

To get necessary adaptations to work equipment, technology, and the business premises you must meet the requirements for Work and Access.

An employer or self-employed person can use this support if the person has a disability or health condition and need adaptation to equipment or technology or a business premises (which is not a person’s home) to work.

Apply

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

An employer can apply for funding to arrange and pay for Disability Equality and Inclusion Training for their staff.

How to qualify

Work and Access supports Disability Equality and Inclusion Training for employers/organisations, and the criteria below must be met.

An employer/organisation can use this support if they:

• are a non-public sector employer
• have a paid workforce
• want to undertake staff training and development to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace
• want to deliver an inclusive and user-friendly service for customers with disabilities

Training courses

The training courses should be tailored to address the specific needs of a workplace, see training options below for more details.

Examples of eligible costs include:

• external training programmes or courses
• in-house training by external trainers
• Open Learning or online training programmes
• materials needed for the training courses (for example: manuals, access to online resources)

The trainer(s) should have:

• relevant qualifications and/or experience
• an understanding of the social model of disability
• extensive knowledge of disability policy issues
• experience or awareness of disability and inclusion
• have a disability or have developed their training programme in consultation with people with disabilities

Training options

1. General Disability Equality and Inclusion Training must include:

• information to increase awareness and understanding of people with disabilities, the social model of disability and the concepts of disability equality
• an overview of the relevant anti-discrimination and equal opportunities legislation, and the rights of people with disabilities to equal treatment in employment, including the provision of reasonable accommodation measures
• information on people with different types of disabilities
• guidance on how to ensure respectful, accessible, and inclusive communications and interactions with people with disabilities and the use of appropriate disability language
• good practices to build understanding and skills to recognise people with disabilities as individuals with their own capacities and skills using awareness exercises that aim to address negative assumptions, stereotypes and attitudes, and
• information on effectively including people with mental health issues in the workplace

1. Disability-specific training, for example:

• ISL training for an employee where another employee or employer is Deaf
• Lámh training for an employee where another employee or employer uses Lámh to communicate
• courses explaining best practices for effectively including people with specific disabilities in the workplace, such as those with neurodiversity where an employee or employer is neurodivergent

1. Inclusive recruitment and management training for managers which must include how to:

• proactively reach people with disabilities in recruitment campaigns
• run inclusive and fair application and interview processes
• discuss disability and disclosure with a candidate or employee
• consider requests for and make reasonable accommodations in the workplace, and
• address unconscious biases

The support provides for funding of eligible training costs as follows:

• 90% of eligible costs for QQI, or other courses certified by other nationally recognised governing bodies OR
• 80% of eligible costs where the course is not approved/certified by a nationally recognised governing body

This is subject to a funding limit of €20,000 over a 12-month period for eligible training costs across the range of training options.

The employer/organisation must source their own trainer(s)

There is no pre-approved list of training providers

Apply

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

To apply, you must complete the Work and Access application form.

Application form for Work and Access Supports

Employer Application form for the Work and Access Supports

There are different requirements for each of the supports. Final approval of funding is based on meeting the requirements of the support you are applying for, which will be decided by the department’s designated officers. (Refer to Operational Guidelines)

Contact

You can find out more information about the supports by:

• Contacting your Local Intreo Centre or Branch Office
• emailing our central team at WorkandAccess@welfare.ie
• writing to:

Operational guidelines describe the processes and procedures for customers and employers to follow when making an application.

Operational Guidelines: Work and Access Supports