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Announced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Sarah Newton MP on the 11th of February, disabled employees will be able to claim almost £60,000 a year to aid them at work.

From the 1st of April 2019, people will be able to claim up to £59,200 annually to help pay for additional support that they may need in the workplace through the Government’s Access to Work scheme. This can include workplace adaptations, assistive technology, transport and interpreters.

Prioritising disability in the workplace has gained considerable momentum in the media recently, as a recent Wildgoose survey highlighted that employees feel as though disability inclusion is most important at work.

It comes after the government increased the cap by almost a third last year. Now, more people will be able to benefit, especially those from the deaf community who can get BSL interpreters through the scheme.

Access to Work provides financial support to ensure someone’s disability or health condition doesn’t hinder them in the workplace and, last year, more than 27,000 people received support. This included adjustable desks, special IT equipment and voice-recognition software.

The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Sarah Newton, commented: “Access to Work provides tailored support to thousands across the country, ensuring a disability or health condition is not a barrier to achieve someone’s career aspirations.

“By extending this grant even more people can benefit from this personalised scheme, and more disabled people can thrive in the workplace.”

According to the Government’s latest statistics, last year’s Access to work provision for people with mental health conditions increased by 34 percent compared to the previous year, and for people with a learning disability it increased by 22 percent.

Access to Work is part of a range of support available to ensure that all disabled people who want to work have the opportunity to achieve their career aspirations. The scheme is one of the ways the Government is helping disabled people who want to work have the opportunity to achieve their career aspirations.

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