Disability & Reasonable Adjustments

Disclosure of Disability

Do you have any impairment or medical condition which has an impact on your life? If so, then we would encourage you to let us know.

A person with a disability is defined in the Equality Act 2010 as someone with " A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities".

• Physical impairment covers, for example, long-term medical conditions such as asthma and diabetes, and fluctuating or progressive conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.

• A mental impairment includes mental health conditions (such as bipolar disorder and depression), learning difficulties (such as dyslexia) and learning disabilities (such as autism and Down’s syndrome)

• Substantial means more than minor or trivial.  The person is still considered disabled if the effects of their impairment are alleviated or removed by ongoing medication or treatment.

• Long-term means that the effect of the impairment has lasted or is likely to last for at least twelve months.  This includes conditions that may fluctuate over time (such as multiple sclerosis)

• Normal day-to-day activities include everyday things like eating, washing, walking and going shopping.  It also includes non-specialist, work-related activities such as using a keyboard.

At Liverpool Hope we believe it is primarily the attitudes, behaviour and environmental barriers that people with disabilities face which can disadvantage, exclude or marginalise them in society rather than any particular condition. We hope you feel you can disclose your disability, impairment or medical condition to us so we can review, in consultation with you, any reasonable adjustments we need to make.

Some people with disabilities may feel this information is private and not work related. Even where you feel your disability does not impact on your work, we would encourage you to let us know by completing the Disability Disclosure Form so we know how many people who work at Hope have a disability. We review our staff profile regularly to ensure disabled staff are part of our diverse workforce and to make sure that our policies and procedures are having a positive effect in making Hope a better place for people with disabilities to work.

Completed forms should be returned marked “Private and Confidential” to Clare Talbot in the Personnel Department (talbotc@hope.ac.uk). All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Support for Mental Health

Staff Well-being at Hope

Managing Reasonable Adjustments

Adjustments are changes that the University must make in the workplace to ensure equal access for a disabled person.  Managers are responsible for ensuring staff have the appropriate equipment and support to enable them to carry out the work safely and effectively.  Managers should be aware of the needs of their staff and take a proactive and anticipatory approach to reasonable adjustments.  Alternatively, staff themselves may request a reasonable adjustment.

If you feel you have identified a requirement for a reasonable adjustment or a member of staff makes a request for an adjustment, please contact Clare Talbot on talbotc@hope.ac.uk ext 3818.

In some cases a reasonable adjustment is needed to provide extra protection for an employee with a health condition. Without the adjustment their health condition or disability may worsen. For example; an employee who has a back condition may find that a standard operators chair is insufficient to prevent discomfort.

Reasonable adjustments may include:

• Adjustments to the workplace to improve access or layout
• Transferring some of the disabled person’s duties to another person
• Changing working hours (eg flexi-time; job share; amending start times etc.)
• Obtaining new equipment or adapting existing equipment (eg chairs, desks, vehicles)
• Time off work for treatment, assessment or rehabilitation

Access to work

Access to Work can help you if your health or disability affects the way you do your job. It gives you and your employer advice and support with extra costs which may arise because of your needs.

Access to Work might pay towards the equipment you need at work, adapting premises to meet your needs, or a support worker. It can also pay towards the cost of getting to work if you cannot use public transport.

If you need a communicator at job interviews, Access to Work may be available, too.

Who can get Access to Work

You may be able to get Access to Work if you are:

• in a paid job
• unemployed and about to start a job and your disability or health condition stops you from being able to do parts of your job.

Your disability or health condition may not have a big effect on what you do each day, but may have a long-term effect on how well you can do your job.

How to contact Access to Work

If you feel that the type of work you do is affected by a disability or health condition that is likely to last for 12 months or more, contact Access to Work to see what help or support may be available"

Getting Help - The Process

If you are likely to be eligible for Access to Work, you will be sent an application form to fill in and send back.  When the completed form has arrived back, an Access to Work adviser will contact you. The adviser will usually speak to you and your employer to reach a decision about the best support for you. In most cases, this can be done over the telephone, but a visit can be arranged if necessary. Sometimes specialist advice may be needed, which the Access to Work adviser will help to arrange. For example, your adviser may arrange for a specialist organisation to complete an assessment and recommend appropriate support.
In this case, a confidential written report will be sent to the Access to Work adviser, who will use this information to help them decide on the right level of support.

The Employer's Responsibilities

Once your adviser has decided on the package of support they feel is appropriate, they will seek formal approval of their recommendations from Jobcentre Plus. You and your employer will then receive a letter informing you of the approved level of support and the grant available.

It is the responsibility of your employer to arrange the agreed support and buy the necessary equipment. Your employer can then claim repayment of the approved costs from Access to Work.

Your Access to Work Grant

The amount of help which you may receive from Access to Work will vary depending on how long you have been employed, what support you need.  Access to Work can pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs if you are:

• unemployed and starting a new job
• working for an employer and have been in the job for less than six weeks

Whatever your employment status, Access to Work will also pay up to 100 per cent of the approved costs of help with:

• support workers
• fares to work

Access to Work pays a proportion of the costs of support if all of the following apply to you:

• you're working for an employer
• you've been in the job for six weeks or more
• you need special equipment or adaptations to premises

The precise level of cost sharing is agreed between your employer and the Access to Work adviser.
After between one and three years, Access to Work will review your circumstances and the support you're receiving.

How to contact Access to Work

If you feel that the type of work you do is affected by a disability or health condition that is likely to last for 12 months or more, you can contact the regional Access to Work contact centre to check if you are eligible for support on:

Telephone: 0141 950 5237

Textphone: 0141 602 5858

E-mail: scotland.atw@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk