Glossary
Access to Work
Access to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
Updated October 16, 20263 cited facts, each traced to its source
Access to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need help to work. GOV.UK says the grant can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support 1. It is a grant for the job itself, so the support is tied to what the person needs in their work.
The grant pays for support needed because of a condition
Equipment and assistive software are the examples GOV.UK names first. GOV.UK also says the grant does not affect other benefits, and that it does not have to be paid back 1.
The grant has an annual cap
Grants are capped each year. The DWP factsheet gives a cap of £69,260 a year for grants awarded or reviewed between 1 April 2026 and 31 March 2027 2. A figure for a different year will be different, so check the current factsheet before you plan a purchase.
Example: dictation software on a work computer
Someone with repetitive strain injury in both wrists finds that typing all day causes pain. Speech to text software on their work computer could take over much of the drafting. Because the software is assistive software that a person needs because of a condition, it is the kind of item the grant can help pay for. The request is made through the scheme, and the amount depends on what the person's work needs.
How it relates to an employer's duty
Access to Work is separate from the employer's duty. GOV.UK says employers must make reasonable adjustments so that workers with disabilities or health conditions are not substantially disadvantaged in their jobs 3. The duty is the employer's, and the grant is government support. Workers can ask about both. The reasonable accommodation entry explains the duty in more detail.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
A dictation tool is a kind of assistive software, so it is worth checking whether the grant can cover it before you buy one. Ask the scheme whether a specific tool is in scope, because the grant covers the support a person needs for their work rather than every piece of software.
Related terms
- Reasonable accommodation: the employer's duty to adjust the job for a worker with a disability.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA): the UK equivalent of support for disabled students in higher education.
- Assistive technology (AT): the devices and software that the grant can help pay for.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI): a common reason people need voice input at work.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- DysgraphiaDysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
- Screen readerA screen reader is software that reads what is on a computer or phone screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display, so that people who are blind or have low vision can use the device. The most used screen readers on Windows are JAWS and NVDA, and VoiceOver is the one built into Apple devices.
Pages that use this term
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesTopic
- Speech to Text for Dyslexia and DysgraphiaGuide
- Dictation for ADHD: Get Your Thoughts Onto the PageGuide
- Dictation Software as a Workplace AccommodationGuide
- Can Access to Work pay for dictation software?Question
- Is carpal tunnel syndrome a disability?Question
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Glossary