HUNDREDS of disabled employees are set to benefit from a £15,000 rise in Access to Work grants to assist them at work following new measures introduced in Parliament on March 20, writes Hazel Prior, employment advisor at Jobcentre Plus in Aldershot.

From April 2018, people will be able to claim up to £57,200 annually to help pay for additional support that they may need in the workplace – a significant increase on the current cap of £42,100.

Access to Work provides financial support to ensure someone’s disability or health condition doesn’t hold them back at work, and can cover workplace adaptations, assistive technology, transport and interpreters.

Increasing the amount people can receive annually will ensure that more disabled people, particularly from the deaf community, are able to benefit from the grant and achieve their career aspirations.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Esther McVey, said: “We believe that disabled people should have every opportunity to thrive in the workplace, and the tailored support of Access to Work caters to every individual’s unique needs.

“By extending this grant we’re ensuring that many more disabled people can reach their career potential, which is a key part of our commitment to getting one million more disabled people in work by 2027.”

The UK Council on Deafness said: “We are pleased to see that the Department for Work and Pensions has decided to significantly raise the Access to Work cap.

This will help deaf people whose first language is British Sign Language (BSL) to access the communication support so vital to enabling them to thrive and succeed in the workplace.”

* Jobcentre Plus is also encouraging employers to become Disability Confident. This scheme aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing disabled people, who make up approximately 17.5 per cent of the UK’s job market. Employers can sign up at www.gov.uk/disability-confident .