The Disability and Carers’ Policy Unit in the Department of Social Protection has launched Work and Access, a set of seven employment supports for disabled people.
Work and Access offers seven key supports:
1. Workplace Needs Assessment Grants of up to €2,500 are available to enable people with a disability or health condition to identify the supports they need in their workplace to do their job.
2. Workplace Adaptations Grants of up to €25,000 are available to support employers with funding to adapt their business premises for an employee or future employee with a disability.
3. Work Equipment Grants of up to €12,000 are available towards personalised assistive equipment or technology for people with disabilities working in the business premises or working remotely.
4. Personal Reader funding is available to assist people who are blind or visually impaired with work-related reading.
5. Communication support which funds Irish Sign Language or other communication support with job interviews, job inductions, in-work meetings or performance reviews.
6. In-work Support funding is available towards a work coach or specialist support to help a person with a disability to do their job or re-train if they move to another position.
7. Disability Equality and Inclusion Training funding is available for employers with a paid workforce to train all their staff on disability and inclusion.
Work and Access supports are available to jobseekers, people who have acquired a disability and want to stay in work, people with disabilities who are employed or self-employed. They are also available to those on work experience or internships of 6 months or more and those on apprenticeships. The supports are available to people in all sectors apart from the public sector. Supports are available to remote workers in up to two locations.
Work and Access replaces the former Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the Disability Awareness Support Scheme. You may be aware that these schemes were reviewed and a set of recommendations was made to ensure better employment supports for disabled people. Work and Access was developed to implement these recommendations.
Please find links for the following online elements of Work and Access below:
Webpage: gov.ie/workandaccess
More information, Application Forms and Operational Guidelines are available on gov.ie