People claiming benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are facing significant financial burdens due to cuts to the Access to Work scheme. Claimants report that they can no longer afford essential support, such as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters, which can cost up to £70 per hour. This has led to fears of job loss and an uncertain future.
Access to Work Budget Caps Causing Hardship
The DWP is reducing Access to Work grants, leaving many disabled workers struggling to cover the costs of necessary accommodations. Tomasz Borys, a deaf council worker, has had to pay out of his own pocket for BSL interpreters after his grant hit the government's annual cap of £69,000. He told the Guardian: "BSL is my first language, which I use every day. Sometimes, when I’m reading English, I do struggle with some of the jargon."
The 40-year-old can no longer afford an interpreter due to rising costs and the cap on his grant. Alarmingly, interpreters can charge as much as £70 an hour, pricing Tomasz out of essential support. He told the Big Issue magazine: "I cannot see a secure future in my career if Access to Work continues to reduce or limit budgets. There is a risk that I could lose my job and be unable to find another role that matches my skills."
Impact on Workplace Inclusion
Robert Geaney, head of policy and campaigns at RNID, highlighted the unfairness of the situation: "If the scheme doesn’t provide enough funding for essential interpreter support, people whose first language is BSL cannot communicate with their colleagues or fully participate in the workplace, which can undermine people’s confidence and risks them feeling isolated, which is just not fair."
Worryingly, the DWP has not officially declared it is cutting Access to Work. There has been no official announcement or guidance. However, a running trend has emerged where people have had their Access to Work grants cut, with some experiencing reductions of up to 80%, according to the Big Issue.
DWP Response
A DWP spokesperson stated that Access to Work "supports thousands of sick or disabled people to start or stay in work, but demand for the scheme has grown significantly and the number of people supported has nearly doubled in five years." They added: "We know from employee and employer feedback that we inherited issues in the scheme, which is why we’re working with disabled people and their organisations to improve it."
