My Department published a review of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and Disability Awareness Support Scheme in August 2023. The Reasonable Accommodation Fund provided financial support for disabled people and for employers to help make their workplaces more accessible. The Disability Awareness Support Scheme provided funding for disability awareness training for employees.
This report included nine recommendations - to merge the two schemes into a single, flexible scheme and to expand and improve the supports offered under the new scheme.
In July 2024, the Work and Access scheme was launched, replacing the two former schemes. Work and Access offers seven supports to help reduce or remove barriers in the workplace for disabled people. The supports include funding for a workplace needs assessment, workplace adaptations and communication support.
Work and Access is open to all non-public sector employers, including the self-employed and people working in the community and voluntary sector. Supports are available for both business premises and remote workplaces.
In 2025, 31 applications were declined. This happens where people do not meet the criteria for the scheme, for example they may not be working or they are working in the public sector or they are looking for equipment which the employer should provide to all employees. No applications have been refused to date in 2026.
It is very important that we make the transition to employment for disabled people as smooth as possible. This is why people on Disability Allowance and Blind Pension can take up employment or self-employment and continue to receive all or part of their income support. A person can earn up to €165 a week and keep their full rate payment. Earnings between €165 and €375 from employment are assessed at 50%, and any earnings over €375 are fully assessed as means. A person can earn up to €527.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of payment and their Department of Social Protection secondary benefits.
People who were on Disability Allowance and take up employment can currently be fast-tracked back to their payment if they end their employment within 12 months.
Since 2017, a person can retain their eligibility for the Free Travel scheme for 5 years after taking up employment and moving off the payment.
A person who had been in receipt of certain social welfare payments, such as Disability Allowance, for 12 consecutive months may retain their medical card for three years on moving into employment. Medical cards are administered by the Health Service Executive.
Following Budget 2026, people moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will be able to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for up to five years. The Back to Work Family Dividend has also been extended to this group, where they have children.
Under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People, my Department has committed to expanding the “no questions asked” route of return to disability payments to three years and to reviewing the retention of secondary benefits where disabled people take up employment. These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Strategy in light of the prevailing policy and budgetary context.
