Getting Job and Career Support: What’s available
Finding the right job, starting a career, or staying in work when you have a learning disability or autism should be an empowering, yet often challenging experience.
Navigating job applications, workplaces, and your legal rights can sometimes feel daunting.
Which is why it is important to know about some of the specialised support, funding grants, and inclusive schemes that are available to help you reach your career goals and succeed in the workplace.
Here is a breakdown of the key resources and schemes designed to support neurodivergent adults and people with disabilities into meaningful employment.
1. National Careers Service
The National Careers Service provides free, practical guidance to help you with your career. This service is available to anyone 13+ and combines specialist advisers, work coaches, and disability advisers who can help you:
- Explore options: Discover career pathways that match your unique strengths and interests.
- Understand your rights: Learn about legal protections and how to ask for workplace adjustments.
- Access targeted programs: Find specialised support programs tailored to learning disabilities, autism, or sensory needs.
They can also provide information for parents, careers, organisations and professional bodies.
2. The Access to Work Scheme
Another valuable resource for disabled and neurodivergent employees in the UK is the Governments Access to Work scheme.
Access to Work is a government scheme that helps provide practical support so you can do your job effectively, particularly if you have a mental health condition or a physical disability.
Support provided depends on individual need. This includes:
- Grants to help pay for practical support with your work
- Support with managing mental health
- Money for communications support when applying for jobs and having interviews.
This can take the form of:
- Support Workers & Job Coaches: Funding for a support worker, job coach or a travel buddy
- Specialist Equipment & Assistive Tech: Noise-canceling headphones, screen-reading software, ergonomic desks, or visual task-management tools.
- Travel to Work: Extra travel costs if you cannot use mainstream public transport (for example, taxi fares to and from work). As well as practical adaptations to your vehicle to make getting to work easier.
- Reasonable adjustments: Physical adjustments to your work environment/office.
How to Apply: You can apply for Access to Work online or over the phone once you have a job offer, are already in paid work, or are starting self-employment. This scheme is subject to eligibility.
3. Look for ‘Disability Confident’ employers
When searching for jobs, look out for the Disability Confident badge on job adverts and company websites.
Employers signed up for this government scheme are committed to creating inclusive workplaces, dismantling stigma and barriers to employment, and creating better understanding of disabilities.
4. Supported Internships: Stepping into Work
If you are aged 16 to 24 and have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, a Supported Internship can be a brilliant bridge between education and paid work.
- They are structured, on-site programs aimed at supporting transitions into paid work
- You receive support from an expert Job Coach on tasks on-site and build valuable workplace social skills
5. Asking for Reasonable Adjustments
By law, employers must make reasonable adjustments so you aren't at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled colleagues. Adjustments include:
- Receiving written instructions instead of verbal-only meetings.
- Having a fixed, predictable shift schedule or flexible working hours.
- Having a quiet workspace away from loud office noise.
- Doing a practical "working trial" instead of a traditional panel interview.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to contribute their unique skills to the workplace.
At halow, we believe employers must champion equitable environments, in order to level the playing field.
Need more help? Contact the us at Referrals@halowproject.org.uk
