New scheme offers a ‘bridge’ to disabled people left waiting for months by Access to Work delays

A new disabled-led scheme in Wales is set to provide a “bridge for disabled people” who are facing lengthy delays with their Access to Work applications.

Disabled campaigners have been raising the alarm for months about the backlogs plaguing the Access to Work (AtW) system.

Disability News Service (DNS) reported earlier this month that self-employed disabled people are waiting about 20 months just for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to begin working on their application if they are seen as “non-priority” cases.

Employed disabled people with non-priority AtW applications are waiting about eight months.

Now a Welsh scheme – devised by disabled social entrepreneur Joshua Reeves – offers hope for some of those left without basic workplace equipment while they wait for decisions on their claims.

Work Without Barriers, which will launch in July and has received a £20,000 award from the National Lottery Community Fund, will provide the UK’s first “rapid-access lending library of workplace equipment”.

A crowdfunding appeal aims to expand the scheme as demand grows, potentially to disabled people in England, but it will begin with the aim of supporting about 50 disabled people in its first year.

The scheme has been set up by Reeves Disability Consultancy (RDC), a community interest company (CIC) founded by Reeves.

It is backed by Benthyg Cymru, an established CIC set up to support Welsh “libraries of things”, community spaces where people can borrow items for a small fee.

Work Without Barriers aims to use this model to help deal with growing concerns that disabled people have been left unable to start new jobs or remain in work because AtW backlogs have caused significant delays in implementing workplace adjustments.

The scheme will provide free assistance with an AtW claim, and then, if suitable equipment is available, arrange for it to be borrowed or rented while the disabled person waits for AtW to deal with their application.

The equipment could include assistive software, adapted chairs, screen-reading and magnification tools, laptops, dual screens, and ergonomic keyboards.

Reeves told DNS that Work Without Barriers was a “temporary, practical response” to these ongoing delays, and “a bridge for disabled people caught in delay, not an excuse for weaker statutory support”.

He said: “People are not coming to us because they want something extra.

“They are coming because they want to work and they cannot get the basic tools they need quickly enough.”

Earlier this month, the government announced the recruitment of nearly 500 extra AtW staff to clear the backlog of 60,000 applicants by September 2027.

But Reeves said: “September 2027 might be a recovery plan for a department, but it is not a recovery plan for a disabled person who starts work next week.

“It is not an answer for someone who needs speech recognition software today, or a second screen today, or a keyboard today, or support to communicate today.

“There is a dangerous gap between ‘you are eligible to apply’ and ‘your support is actually in place’.

“That gap is where people lose confidence, lose income and sometimes lose work.

“We want people to come to us early.

“We can help them get the Access to Work application moving, and where equipment is available, we can help them borrow or rent what they need so they are not forced to wait with nothing.”

Most disabled people who receive support through the scheme will have the equipment delivered to their home, although collection from a central hub might also be an option in some cases.

The initial version of the scheme allows for delivery and collection across all 22 Welsh local authority areas, with the aim of delivering it within 72 hours if the necessary equipment is available.

Reeves said: “If disabled-led organisations are having to create emergency bridges around Access to Work, that should worry DWP. It shows the need is real, immediate and practical.

“People do not need another warm statement about inclusion. They need the tools that let them do the job.”

Keira Evans, from Cardiff, who borrowed a supportive chair through a pilot version of the scheme, said: “Having access to equipment that helps keep disabled people in work is vital, as without it, we’re at risk of losing our livelihoods.

“It’s a day-to-day struggle to manage without and especially when you have no idea when your Access to Work assessment will be held.

“The Work Without Barriers micro test has shown that it is possible to support disabled people during this wait, allowing us the freedom to work independently and confidently.”

Becky Harford, director and co-founder of Benthyg Cymru, said: “Work Without Barriers is a brilliant example of the circular economy in action, keeping equipment in use, getting it to people who need it, and making sure practical support doesn’t wait on bureaucracy.

“At Benthyg Cymru, our vision has always been equity, not just equality, and we are pleased to welcome RDC as part of our growing network of people and organisations who believe there is a better way.

“Lending the right equipment at the right moment is circular economy and social justice working together, and this is exactly the kind of initiative we want to support in Wales.”

Picture of Joshua Reeves (above left) ©Rossana Haigh/Reeves Disability Consultancy CIC. Picture of Keira Evans (above right) ©Keira Evans/Reeves Disability Consultancy CIC