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Funding reasonable adjustments
Not all adjustments will have a cost. Where they do funding will come from four sources:
Departmental/Divisional Budgets
Specialist Equipment
Adjustments for specialist equipment costing less than £500 should normally be funded from departmental/divisional budgets, unless there is very limited grant funding available.
Desks, chairs, laptops or any standard office equipment must be funded by the department/division, even where the cost exceeds the £500 threshold.
For specialist equipment costing between £500 and £1,000, please see the section below on UCL’s Central Fund for Reasonable Adjustments (Access to Work Bridge Fund).
For specialist equipment costing over £1,000, an Access to Work application will be required.
Other adjustments (including taxis, coaching sessions, mental health support)
For staff who require support for managing their mental health at work, Access to Work provide a fully funded Mental Health Support Service. Staff can check their eligibility and then apply directly to either Able Futures or Maximus.
For other types of adjustments, including taxis and coaching and training for neurodivergent staff Access to Work will usually cover 100% of costs, therefore employees who expect they will need funding for taxis or support for Neurodivergent staff (e.g. coaching sessions), an Access to Work application needs to be submitted. Please see below for further details.
UCL’s central fund for reasonable adjustments: Access to Work bridge fund
This budget exits to bridge any shortfall between Access to Work funding and departmental budgets. For this reason, the fund will only cover items that are in line with Access to Work’s policy on what they provide funding for. Access to Work funding covers the cost of adjustments for Disabled employees that would not be considered reasonable for an employer to fund. Access to Work funding covers:
- Specialist equipment (totalling over £1,000).
- Regular taxi fares (regardless of cost).
- Coaching and support for neurodivergent employees (regardless of cost).
Access to Work will not fund any standard office equipment (including chairs, desks, laptops etc). Where an Access to Work grant has been awarded, the central fund will cover all employer costs required by Access to Work.
The central fund can also be used to help departments fund adjustments that would be funded by Access to Work that cost over £500 but do not meet the £1,000 threshold for an Access to Work application. For eligible items that cost between £500-£1,000, the central budget will contribute towards half the costs.
To make an application to the central fund, please complete the central fund application form.
Access to Work
This is a government-funded initiative managed by the Department for Work and Pensions. Where the eligibility criteria is met various levels of funding are available.
See Access to Work for full details.
Estates and Facilities maintenance budget
Disability-related alterations will be given priority over routine maintenance works, so it should be made clear that this is a disability-related request.