Access to Work

The Equality Act 2010 (Scotland, England and Wales) and the Disability Discrimination Act (Northern Ireland) give you protection and mean employers must not treat you unfairly because you are deaf and they must make reasonable adjustments to support you to work.

If the support or equipment you need is costly or it is not “reasonable” for your employer to provide it, you may qualify for funding from Access to Work. This is money from the Department for Work and Pensions in England, Wales and Scotland which you can use to pay for things like BSL interpreters or note takers. 

There is a different scheme in place Northern Ireland. Find more information about the scheme here.

Some employers do not know about it so you may want tell them. Find out more about the Access to Work scheme here.

If you're looking for information and advice whether you’re already working, looking for a job or trying to understand your options so you can plan for the future, have a look at our work and careers pages.