The Public Accounts Committee’s June 2026 report on Access to Work makes for uncomfortable reading. A backlog of 66,000 applications, processing times averaging 106 working days, and a scheme so administratively difficult to use that it is deterring the very employment it exists to support. For employers looking to hire blind and partially sighted talent, this is not background noise. It is a direct operational challenge — and one that requires a clear-eyed response.
The Scale of the Problem
Access to Work is a government grant scheme that funds workplace support for disabled people beyond what employers are legally required to provide. For blind and partially sighted candidates, that can mean funding for screen reader software, support workers, adapted travel, or specialist equipment. In short: it is frequently the practical mechanism that makes employment viable.
The current state of the scheme is as follows:
- 66,000 applications were awaiting a decision in March 2026, up from 21,700 in March 2022.
- The DWP’s target is to process applications in 25 working days. The current average is 106 working days.
- Applicants calling the Access to Work helpline are currently told the process may take up to 37 weeks.
- The DWP does not expect to clear the backlog until September 2027 at the earliest.
- Case studies shared with the PAC showed workers forced to choose between risking their jobs or working without adjustments while they waited.
The PAC report states explicitly that these delays are causing employers to hire fewer disabled people. That is the scheme working in reverse.
75% of Blind and Partially Sighted People of Working Age Are Not in Employment
Before examining what the Access to Work crisis means for recruitment, it is worth stating the baseline clearly. Approximately 75% of blind and partially sighted people of working age are not in employment. That figure is not a reflection of capability. It is the cumulative result of systemic barriers — inaccessible recruitment processes, uninformed hiring managers, built environments that were not designed with blind and partially sighted people in mind, and, as this report makes clear, a support infrastructure that is failing to function.
The PAC report reinforces something that employers sometimes misunderstand: Access to Work is not a substitute for good employment practice. It is a supplement to it. The report found that in 40% of cases reviewed, support funded through the scheme should have been provided by the employer as part of their reasonable adjustments duty under the Equality Act 2010. That means many employers are, knowingly or not, offloading their legal obligations onto an already-overwhelmed scheme.
What This Means in Practice for Hiring
If you are in the process of hiring a blind or partially sighted candidate — or have already made an offer — here is the practical reality you need to plan for:
- Do not wait for Access to Work before onboarding. With processing times of up to 37 weeks, assuming the scheme will be in place before a start date is not a workable plan. Consider what interim adjustments you can provide under your existing Equality Act duty.
- Support your candidate through the application process. The PAC report describes the Access to Work application as inaccessible — complex forms, unclear deadlines, and a process that assumes administrative capacity that some applicants need support to develop. Your HR team can help navigate this.
- Prioritise time-critical applications. The DWP does prioritise applications from people due to start work within four weeks. Make sure your candidate — and your HR team — knows this and flags it clearly when applying.
- Understand what you are legally required to provide. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act are your responsibility, not Access to Work’s. The scheme is intended to fund support over and above that threshold. Knowing where that line sits is both a legal and a practical requirement.
The Access to Work backlog is not just a government problem — it is an employer problem. Every week a candidate waits for a decision is a week their start date is at risk, their confidence is being tested, and your organisation is missing out on someone who has already demonstrated exactly the kind of tenacity and adaptability you want in your workforce. Don’t let a broken system be the reason a great hire doesn’t happen.
— Seema Flower, Founder and Managing Director, Blind Ambition
Tenacity, Adaptability, Resilience — These Are Business Assets
It is worth being direct about what the employment gap for blind and partially sighted people actually represents from a talent perspective. Navigating a world not designed for you — from education through to job applications, onboarding, and daily working life — requires a level of problem-solving, adaptability, and persistence that most hiring managers would immediately recognise as high-value in any candidate.
Blind and partially sighted candidates who reach the point of a job offer have, in most cases, already overcome more structural barriers than the average applicant. The Access to Work crisis adds another layer to that. Those who navigate it successfully are demonstrating precisely the resilience that high-performing teams are built on.
The 75% employment gap is not evidence of a capability problem. It is evidence of a systemic design failure. Employers who understand that — and act accordingly — will access a talent pool that most of their competitors are not even looking at.
Access to Work Is Still Worth Pursuing — Despite the Delays
None of the above means employers or candidates should give up on Access to Work. The scheme, when it functions, is genuinely transformative. The PAC report notes that qualitative research found the scheme creates a level playing field in the workplace, reduces sickness absence, and improves confidence and wellbeing. Employers reported that it enabled them to recruit more disabled people and better understand their needs.
The backlog will not last forever. The DWP has announced 480 additional case managers, a new integrated IT system, and a target of clearing the backlog by September 2027. In the meantime, the scheme still prioritises urgent cases, and — once approved — payments are now being processed within the 10-working-day standard.
The practical advice is: apply early, apply urgently where there is a job offer on the table, and build your onboarding plan around what your organisation can and should provide independently of the scheme’s timeline.
The Takeaway for Employers
The Access to Work crisis is a systemic failure that is actively suppressing disabled employment. For employers committed to building genuinely inclusive workplaces, the response is not to wait for government to fix it. It is to understand your own legal obligations, support your candidates through a broken process, and recognise that the barriers blind and partially sighted people face are not about capability — they are about infrastructure.
Blind and partially sighted talent exists. It is skilled, resilient, and significantly underrepresented in the UK workforce. The question is whether your organisation is set up to find it, hire it, and support it properly.
About Blind Ambition Recruitment
Blind Ambition Recruitment connects employers with blind and partially sighted talent. Post your job today at recruitment.blindambition.co.uk or contact recruitment-ops@blindambition.co.uk
