Reasonable adjustments in employment

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requires employers to make changes to help disabled people work. These are known as ‘reasonable adjustments' and can include:

• making changes to the building or premises where the person works.
• changing the way in which work is done.
• providing equipment that will help the person do their job.

Most adjustments don't cost anything at all - just a change in attitude. For others that do involve a cost, the Government Access to Work scheme might be able to help.

Examples of reasonable adjustments in employment

An office lowers shelves and door handles so that an employee who uses a wheelchair can reach them. All staff are also told to ensure that boxes, bags and bins are not left in walkways where they might get in the way of the wheelchair user. This means that the office generally looks tidier and there is less risk of anyone tripping over things left lying around.

A small law firm employs a secretary who has arthritis in her hands which means she has difficulty typing. Voice activated software is installed on her computer which means she can produce accurate word processed letters and agreements quickly without having to type.

A shop allows an assistant who takes medication that makes her drowsy in the mornings to start work and leave work an hour later than the other assistant. This means that the shop is able to stay open later and serve customers on their way home at the end of the day.

A café employs a kitchen porter with a learning disability. The owner of the café makes sure that he gets information about health and safety and food hygiene in Easy Read which is simple language with pictures and that everything is explained to him in person as well to ensure he understands it. The Easy Read information and explanations also help other workers who don't speak English as a first language.

What is reasonable?

You only have to make adjustments that are reasonable. When deciding if the adjustment is reasonable you should consider:

• how effective it will be in helping the person do their job
• whether it is practical to make the adjustment
• how much disruption, if any, will be caused to your business or other people
• how much, if anything, the adjustment will cost and how much money you have
• whether you can get help with making the adjustment and towards its cost from a scheme like Access to Work.

The most important thing to remember is that treating everyone the same does not mean that you are treating everyone fairly. The DDA requires people to be treated differently according to their needs by making reasonable adjustments for them.