27 January 2025

Top tips: employing someone with a disability

In this article we’ll explain what you need to know about employing someone with a disability, as well as tell you about personal experience from both the employer’s and employee’s points of view.

A2i has experience of working with people with disabilities for many years, and so we’ve summarised the main things you need to know when you are recruiting, and when you employ a disabled person.

We’ve also recently employed Dave, who is blind, reads Braille and uses screen reading software. Dave was happy to share some highlights from his story, and our Director, Susie, also talks about her experience as an employer.

We really hope these tips and our experiences can be helpful for other employers and employees.

What should happen before an interview?

• Ask the candidate about accommodations/adaptations for the interview and any aptitude tests.
• Provide all information in accessible formats.
• Check building accessibility requirements with the candidate e.g. using stairs, accessing the building entrance etc.
• Provide instructions on how to find the building and how to find the way around the building.

Dave (employee):

I would definitely consider an employer if they’ve been certified as disability confident, and I may look out for a mention of disabled people or people with health conditions in the advert as a good sign of an awareness of disability or a willingness to learn.

Susie (employer):

We always confirm an interview invitation by email, and use this opportunity to include a sentence asking about any adaptations or alternative formats needed.

What should happen at the interview?

• Welcome the candidate at the front door if possible.
• Always speak to the disabled person directly, not to anyone who is accompanying them.
• Remind the candidate of the accommodations that were discussed beforehand and how they have been implemented. Check if the candidate has any further questions regarding this.
• Allow the candidate access to material they have prepared for example via their phone.
• Allow extra time for any written information – it takes longer for some disabled people to read print/Braille or process information.
• Only ask questions regarding a person’s disability if it is intrinsically related to the duties in the job role.
• An employer cannot ask about adjustments that the candidate would need in post until a job offer has been made. See business disability forum for more information.
• Tell the candidate about any flexible working patterns that you may be able to offer them.
• Make sure you ask the applicant the same questions whether or not they have a disability.
• Consider a working interview if possible.

Dave (employee):

In my best interview, the interviewer spoke to me in a fair and honest way. He only mentioned my disability when querying if I knew if their software would be accessible with a screen reader. He didn’t sound scared, worried or overwhelmed when directly talking about my disability.

In my worst interview, the interviewer was very nervous from the start and this came across in negative closed questions like “I expect the office will be extremely hard for you to find and travel to, won’t it?”, which was very rude considering I had just done that to attend the interview!

For my interview at A2i, I was very pleased that Braille was provided for the test and the software was setup correctly on the computer.

Susie (employer):

I’m not sure if we’ve got every interview just right in the past, but we certainly try to do the right thing. We want candidates to know they will be treated fairly and I hope this has been apparent. It’s really important to value every candidate and assess their capability to do the tasks in the job specification.

Employers can always get advice from HR advisers, ACAS, gov.uk or various charities.

How should employers make interview/aptitude tests inclusive?

• Offer extra time (50 or 100%).
• Avoid tests where the timing matters.
• Provide all information in accessible formats.
• Make sure any software is accessible – allow the candidate to come in to test any assistive technology beforehand if they wish, this may give them a more equal level of confidence with other candidates.
• Allow the candidate to use their own device if possible with their own familiar assistive technology settings.

Susie (employer):

We started with our usual interview tests and then made sure they were fully accessible. This included adaptive software and information in alternative formats, as well as providing the right physical space.

Dave (employee):

I always get nervous doing aptitude tests as I’m worried the screen reader won’t behave in the same way on another computer. However, I do feel aptitude tests are useful as an opportunity for candidates to demonstrate their capability. A working interview is even better for this, but I’ve never been offered a working interview so far.

What else do employers need to know about?

• The government runs a scheme called Access to Work to cover costs that affect a disabled person in work such as travel to and from work, cost of specialist equipment and a support worker to help with inaccessible aspects of the role. Employers should not ask about this at the interview stage, but it is helpful to know it will be available.
• It is illegal to refuse a disabled person a reasonable adjustment, like a support worker, unless the change required would significantly affect how a service or business is run.
• Always provide initial orientation of the building and office layout – this can be part of the usual induction process but may need more time.

Susie (employer):

It’s helpful to know about the Access to Work scheme in advance, so you can be confident as a small business that you will be able to get the funding for any adaptations needed. We are fortunate that we can produce alternative formats in-house, other companies would need to think about this in advance so there is time to outsource the work.

Dave (employee):

When I started at A2i, I found the welcome chat and tour of the building from Susie very useful. It was quite nice to split up the training so it’s not all in the first couple of days. I was given information in Braille and a tactile floor plan which really helped me get a sense of the office space.

How can employers get the right equipment before an employee starts?

• Discuss adaptations ASAP after a job has been accepted.
• Make sure the candidate gets an Access to Work application in ASAP if they need it – the employee must make the application, not the employer.
• If the candidate is unsure of the best equipment for them, they can have an Access to Work assessment from a specially trained adviser.
• Try free/low cost alternatives if Access to Work equipment hasn’t arrived in time for the start date and the employee feels confident using alternatives.

Susie (employer):

We find it strange when we need to approve Access to Work claims for travel and support workers in the case where these are used outside of working hours. However, apart from that, the Access to Work process has been very easy and the staff helpful.

Dave (employee):

The Access to Work process has been much more straightforward than I thought it would be. My case manager from DWP communicated via email and was very quick and efficient with no unnecessary questions.

I agree with Susie that it was odd that DWP needed my employer to approve support workers used during travel, as the support worker only worked outside of the office. Taxi costs being approved by the employer made sense as they could vouch for the days that I was in the office, but it was unnecessary for them to know how many hours a support worker had assisted.

How much should employers be involved in an employee’s travel to and from work?

• The candidate should be aware of their travel options and should manage their own travel and Access to Work claim regards to travel if they need this.
• It can be helpful if colleagues are available initially to help with orientation and familiarity of the local area.

Dave (employee):

When I first started at A2i, colleagues were very helpful meeting me outside in the morning when I walked from the bus stop and guiding me to my bus stop at the end of the day.

How can employers make sure employees are included in all aspects of work (meetings, events, socials)?

• Discuss any meetings/events in advance.
• Encourage the employee to raise issues and give feedback.
• Select venues that are accessible.
• Provide accessibility adaptations for any presentations/videos and any information in accessible formats.

Dave (employee):

Colleagues have been very helpful with making cups of tea for me as tea could be problematic to carry through the office. Having Braille information and tactile graphs during team meetings helps me feel included and allows me to fully take part. The addition of a braille menu for the restaurant where we had lunch on a recent team day was also great.

Susie (employer):

We really value input from all our employees and want to make sure everyone can take part equally, whether it’s a work meeting or a social event. We hope everyone feels included and valued.

If you have any queries about accessible formats or A2i’s services please get in touch.

You can send us an email: info@a2i.co.uk

fill out our online form

or call our telephone: 01179 44 00 44

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