Reasonable Adjustments Toolkit

Toolkit collated by Zahara Chowdhury

What Are Reasonable Adjustments?

Reasonable Adjustments are changes an employer makes to reduce disadvantage for disabled staff. The Equality Act (2010) requires employers to make adjustments for employed staff, contractors and self-employed individuals working for them and for job applicants too (acas.org.uk).

Reasonable Adjustments Can Include:

Making changes to a physical work environment (desk adjustments; hybrid working; additional resources such as a specialist chair, keyboard, mouse).
Adapting work patterns and working dynamics (allowing staff to work from home, adapt working hours, flexible on work locations, for example working from a ground floor office or classroom, in proximity to certain amenities).
Providing additional equipment or different types of equipment so that disabled staff can do their jobs effectively

Remember: reasonable adjustments are individual adjustments made for each person. Whilst an adjustment may work for all, employers must make sure that they are making reasonable adjustments for disabled staff – it is a requirement by law.

Note: there is no requirement for staff to be ‘registered’ as disabled or to provide evidence of a disability. Employers are also responsible for providing information and support about reasonable adjustments for all staff. (Tip: send your reasonable adjustments and disability policy to all new starters and ensure it is accessible on your organisation website and staff intranet).

Access to Work

The Access to Work scheme in the UK can provide financial and additional support for staff with disabilities (physical or mental health conditions) that make it difficult for them to do their jobs. Employers must make reasonable adjustments, however in certain circumstances, employees can apply to see if they are eligible for an Access to Work grant. There are certain criteria that must be met when applying for Access to Work grants and these are only available to individuals aged 16 or over, in employment (or about to start work) and that live in England, Scotland or Wales. Find out more information about Access to Work.

Social Model of Disability vs the Medical Model of Disability

The medical model of disability views disability as an impairment(s) that needs to be ‘fixed’. It suggests that the disabled person has a problem and we therefore must fix their problem because there is something wrong with ‘them’.

The social model of disability highlights that there are barriers across society, the workplace and educational institutions that need to be removed to enable access and equality for disabled persons.

Adopting the social model of disability encourages workplaces and organisations to build systems, policies and processes that are universal and inclusive by design. That is, building systems, processes, and policies with reasonable adjustments, flexibility and accessibility in mind. Therefore, the design is inclusive of diverse disabilities, health conditions, and neurodiversity, which minimises the need for reasonable adjustments. However, it is important to note that universal and inclusive design cannot completely mitigate the need for reasonable adjustments; employers will need to make adjustments where necessary.

One of the most significant things to remember about reasonable adjustments is to listen to what a member of staff needs. Disabled staff know what they need to perform and work – the social model of disability is not designed for staff to convince us of what they need; it is designed so that we believe staff firsthand and provide the reasonable resources and adaptations required.

Reasonable Adjustments in Education

Schools, colleges and universities must ensure they are making reasonable adjustments for all disabled students. This may include:

Physical adjustments: a ramp, ground-floor classroom, adapted seating and desk space for students in wheelchairs; enlarged text, adaptive equipment for students with visual or hearing impairments.
Assessment options: particularly for non-exam and informal assessments (providing written, verbal and digital options for assessment).
The pedagogy of scaffolding: ensuring scaffolds are provided for students as and when they are needed.
Adaptive teaching and learning: adapting teaching styles and resources ‘in real time’ to suit diverse student needs.
Mental health and wellbeing support: strategies and resources that help students with mental health difficulties and conditions - remove barriers and create a safe and positive environment that encourages all students to succeed and thrive at school.
Flexibility in learning modes: allowing students with diabetes to leave a lesson when needed or to have snacks in lesson when needed; allowing students with autoimmune conditions to use restroom facilities when required; allowing neurodiverse students to move around learning spaces when needed; providing fidget toys and stress balls.

What Is Reasonable?

This is an important and relevant question. Remember, not all reasonable adjustments come at a cost: you may simply need to adjust and flex working dynamics and environments. When there is a cost involved, consider your existing environment, processes and resources. Just as you may invest in CPD, training, development and learning resources, we invest in reasonable adjustments so that staff can equitably thrive at work:

A disabled member of staff needs an elevator to get to their office or classroom. Short term, it is not possible to install a lift, so instead you provide a ground floor office or classroom for them and their team. Long term, as you look to refurbish, you look to install an elevator that not only supports wheelchair users and staff who benefit from using an elevator, but also future students, transporting resources and more (this is strategically using universal learning design).
A menopausal member of staff needs to be close to a restroom and requires air conditioning in their office or classroom. You look to timetable their lessons or office place in reasonable proximity to a restroom and ensure all classrooms have access to a fan. Long term, you will look to install ceiling fans and air conditioning units in certain classrooms; when timetabling or allocating office space in the future, these spaces will primarily be used for staff who require reasonable adjustments (this is strategically using universal learning design).
A diabetic student needs access to their phone and snacks throughout the day and in lessons, however, they are conscious of their friends and classmates seeing this as a weakness. You work with the parents and school curriculum to see if there are ways of connecting what they need to a Smartwatch, if this makes them feel more comfortable; provide lessons and subtle activities for the student’s tutor group to develop compassion, empathy and understanding; use short term scaffolding to build in activities where the student feels comfortable to have a snack and not feel ‘singled out’ (these will be phased out as the student gains confidence); you ensure every teacher and close stakeholder is made aware that this student will have snacks and may often check their watch or look down at a phone, to prevent drawing attention to the student (this is proactively building an inclusive learning environment).

The best way to decide what is reasonable is to have a conversation with students and staff. It can be a vulnerable experience for staff and students to ask for what they need, particularly when working in systems that are not inclusive or universal by design. Co-creating and enabling reasonable adjustments in partnership is empowering and leads to a stronger sense of agency, empowerment and belonging.

The Belonging Effect’s Reasonable Adjustment Toolkit

We are collating a growing bank of resources to support you in reflecting on the following questions:

CPD and policy: What resources, support and information are in place to ensure staff and students are learning about the social model of disability and reasonable adjustments?
Process: What practical support, resources, confidentiality arrangements and responsibilities are needed to put the adjustment in place?
Risk assessment: Is the physical environment accessible for disabled students and staff? Are you conducting an equality impact assessment for all policies and processes?
Listening: What does the person say would help remove or reduce disadvantage?
Universal Design for Learning: Can the task, assessment, timetable, workspace, technology or communication method be changed without removing its essential purpose?
Impact and evaluation: How and when will we check whether the adjustment is working, and what will you do if it needs to change?