Reasonable Adjustments are a legal obligation on the University. Employers have a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make adjustments for disabled employees where these would alleviate a disadvantage experienced by the disabled person as a result of their disability and theyare reasonable and to remove barriers or reduce the effect of barriers that disabled people face (where reasonable) for instance at the workplace. Barriers can be:

• Physical – for example, a set of stairs
• Assumptions or attitudes – of other people about a disabled person’s abilities
• Policies or practices – such as fixed working hours or locations or expected ways of communicating.

Reasonable Adjustments Guidance at the University of Reading

Our Workplace Adjustments Guidance can be found on our HR pages and sets out the process for supporting employees with a disability. This guidance exists to support the line manager and employee to have collaborative discussions whilst outlining that specialist help may need to be sought from Human Resources, Occupational Health, and where appropriate specialist external agencies.

If you need support starting the conversation about Reasonable Adjustments, the Tailored Adjustments Plan can offer a framework for discussion.

The TAP is a living record of workplace adjustments relating to supporting an individual with a disability and/or long-term health condition which is agreed between an employee and their line manager.

You can follow the flowchart to initiate a Tailored Adjustment Plan conversation.

The important role of line managers

As a line manager, you play a crucial role in empowering your team to perform at their best and achieve their goals. Managers are instrumental in shaping the workplace culture, fostering an open and supportive environment where all employees feel comfortable discussing challenges and seeking assistance early on. Managers have a duty to take action once a disabled person has notified them of a disability and that they need adjustments. You can contact your HR Business Partner to support you through this process.

A good practice approach as a line manager is to:

• Engage with any member of your team who requests extra support or adjustments at work
• Focus on the adjustments that are needed for someone to do their job acknowledging that conditions may vary for each individual and therefore individuals may have different workplace needs
• Promote a management style that encourages participation, as this can support a safe environment and encourage a dialogue with their teams
• Be aware of policies for inclusive recruitment, training and progression and ensure you and your team are up-to-date with relevant EDI training 
• Support non-judgemental listening conversations with your team members
• Respond with sensitivity to team concerns which will allow them to share experiences and request adjustments 
• Be able to raise issues on the work environment that may create barriers for your teams to relevant parties. Such as, your HR Partner or your own line manager

Barriers and Reasonable Adjustments - some examples

Should you need some examples of barriers and Reasonable Adjustments to support your conversations, please see below how barriers may be addressed in recruitment, the work environment, and when using digital technologies.

Recruitment

Reasonable Adjustments made to reduce or remove barriers during recruitment will depend on the disability and the circumstances in each case, but may include:

• Making changes to the application format and the interview tasks or tests, for example using a computer, allowing extra time, or providing it in large print format;
• Making changes to where the interview takes place, such as making sure it is wheelchair accessible;
• Making changes to the interview environment, such as seating arrangements/positioning;
• Providing candidates with the interview questions beforehand;
• Allowing a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or personal assistant to accompany a candidate to the interview.

Have a look at the University’s recruitment procedure.

Environment

Environmental challenges may make it difficult for disabled people to spend time on campus and work effectively. Some environmental barriers may include:

• Lack of accessible buildings - lifts, ramps, accessible toilets, lighting
• Lack of accessible campuses - walkways or paths
• Lack of accessible working spaces – desks, chairs, and working location.

Examples of Reasonable Adjustments made to remove these barriers could include, where reasonable:

• Buildings: adjusting lighting levels, making a door easier to open, providing accessible toilets
• Campus: providing accessible parking spaces
• Working spaces: keeping an office clear of clutter, ergonomic chairs, accessible storage, height adjustable desks, using divider screens to limit distractions, alternative work locations, organising desk space for personal assistants or British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

Here at Reading, colleagues and their line managers can seek support to implement Reasonable Adjustments from Occupational Health, the HR Advisory team and Access to Work.

Digital technologies

A disabled person may have impairment-specific barriers regarding access to Information Technology, such as typing, reading documents or navigating a mouse.

Examples of Reasonable Adjustments made to remove these barriers could include:

• Assistive hardware which may include: chairs, sit stand desk, Vari desk, rollermouse, Remarkable tablet, Grammerly, T-loop system, Roger Microphone

• Assistive software, where this is approved by the University, might include: dictation software included in Office 365, Speech to Text, Magnification package, Dragon Naturally Speaking

Colleagues and their line managers should seek support from Occupational Health before agreeing to or making decisions around Reasonable Adjustments in this area. You may also wish to familiarise yourself with the University’s Digital Accessibility Resources.