Access to Work grants to increase by 36%

From 1 April, people can claim up to £57,200 annually to help pay for additional support in the workplace – £15,000 more than the current cap of £42,100. The increase follows a campaign led by the UK Council on Deafness and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Deafness.

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 people, particularly from the Deaf community, are able to benefit from the grant and achieve their career aspirations.

A statement from the UK Council on Deafness said: “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.”