Employment support and benefits

Access to Work

Access to Work is a scheme run by Jobcentre Plus which provides advice and practical support to disabled people to enable them to work. The scheme pays a grant towards any extra employment costs that result from a disability, such as adaptations to the workplace, or specialist equipment.

Find out more about Access to Work

Work and Health Programme

The Work and Health Programme can provide training, explore your skills and put you in contact with employers to help you find a job. It is accessed through your local Jobcentre Plus.

Find out more about the Work and Health Programme

If you are unhappy with the support you are getting from Jobcentre Plus - including access to the schemes mentioned above - and talking things through with your Health and Disability Adviser has not worked, you have the right to make a formal complaint to the Jobcentre Plus you have been dealing with. Jobcentre Plus state that they aim to respond to all complaints within 15 working days.

If your local Jobcentre Plus is unable to resolve the compliant to your satisfaction then you can ask for your case to be sent to the Director General of Operations for the DWP (Department for Work and Pensions). This department aims to deal with complaints within 15 working days. If the matter is still not resolved then you can ask the Independent Case Examiner (ICE) to investigate. The ICE is impartial and conducts reviews of complaints about certain government organisations. Please note that you must take your case to the ICE within six months of receiving the final response from Jobcentre Plus.

Sightline is RNIB’s online directory of services for blind and partially sighted people which you can search to find training suppliers in your area.

Visit Sightline

If you need help planning you career Project Aspiro can help support you. It’s a career planning and employment website for blind and partially sighted people with a wealth of information and handy tools.

Visit Project Aspiro