Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee has launched a Call for Evidence into the Access to Work scheme, following the 2026 National Audit Office report examining operational pressures within the programme.
Senior officials from the Department for Work & Pensions will give evidence on how those challenges are being addressed.
For Blind Ambition Recruitment, this inquiry is not abstract policy. It goes to the heart of whether blind and partially sighted people can move into work with confidence — or whether opportunity stalls at the point of support.
Written evidence can be submitted until 23:59 on Thursday 26 February 2026.
A Labour Market Full of Opportunity
We are living in a moment of extraordinary technological change.
Advances in:
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Artificial intelligence
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Speech-to-text and text-to-speech systems
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Screen reading technology
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Remote working infrastructure
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Smartphone-based assistance tools
have transformed what is possible.
Platforms such as Be My Eyes, AI-driven CV optimisation tools, accessible productivity software, and cloud-based collaboration systems mean that many roles once considered inaccessible are now entirely viable.
There has never been more potential for blind and partially sighted people to:
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Enter professional careers
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Launch and scale businesses
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Work flexibly or remotely
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Contribute specialist skills to growth sectors
The opportunity gap is narrowing.
But the support system must keep pace.
Access to Work: The Critical Enabler
Access to Work was introduced in 1994 to remove practical barriers to employment. It can fund:
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Workplace assessments
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Specialist equipment
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Support workers
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Travel to work
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Adjustments beyond employer obligations
Demand has risen sharply:
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83% increase in people approved for support or assessment (to 67,720 in 2023–24)
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72% increase in spending (£149.9m to £257.8m)
This demonstrates need — and ambition.
However, the NAO reported:
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Average processing times of 109 working days
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A backlog exceeding 62,000 applications
For a recruitment platform focused on placing visually impaired talent into meaningful work, those figures are not theoretical. They affect real hiring decisions.
The Recruitment Impact
Blind Ambition Recruitment exists to connect inclusive employers with skilled blind and partially sighted candidates.
We are seeing:
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Employers ready to hire
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Candidates ready to work
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Technology removing historic barriers
But we are also seeing:
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Delayed start dates due to renewal backlogs
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Reduced awards without material change in role
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Support workers leaving because of payment delays
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Employers losing confidence due to uncertainty
In some cases, the consequences are more severe.
We are aware of blind and partially sighted professionals who have lost employment because support was not confirmed in time. Self-employed individuals have reported having to pause or close viable businesses and move onto benefits when Access to Work support was reduced or withdrawn without warning. Contracts cannot be honoured without support workers. Clients cannot be serviced. Income collapses rapidly.
This is not a marginal inconvenience. It represents economic reversal — moving people from productivity into dependency because administrative systems have failed to function predictably.
Recruitment depends on predictability.
An employer will not indefinitely hold a role open while support arrangements remain unresolved.
A candidate cannot confidently accept an offer without knowing their support will be in place.
Where there is delay, opportunity becomes fragile.
This Is About Economic Participation
Access to Work is not a discretionary welfare payment. It is an employment infrastructure mechanism.
When it works:
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Blind and partially sighted people can plan careers.
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Employers can budget with clarity.
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Businesses can grow.
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The Exchequer benefits from increased tax revenue.
When it does not:
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Recruitment pipelines stall.
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Self-employed professionals face financial instability.
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Employment retention weakens.
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Confidence erodes across the ecosystem.
At a time when AI, digital tools and accessible platforms are opening doors, systemic delay risks becoming the new barrier.
Why Evidence Matters Now
The Public Accounts Committee cannot intervene in individual cases. But it can examine systemic performance.
Evidence is particularly powerful where it:
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Demonstrates patterns across multiple individuals
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Shows impact on recruitment and retention
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Identifies operational inconsistency
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Quantifies financial consequences
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Proposes practical reform
Submissions must be original and may request anonymity.
The Strategic Moment
The Government published reform proposals in March 2025. There is growing recognition across disability policy that lived experience must inform reform.
That principle applies equally to employment.
Blind Ambition Recruitment sees daily evidence that:
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The talent exists
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The technology exists
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The employer appetite exists
The question is whether operational systems will enable that momentum — or slow it.
A Final Word from Seema Flower
“Technology has removed many of the barriers we once faced. Access to Work must not become the new barrier. If the system cannot keep pace with ambition, Parliament needs to understand the consequences for employment.”
— Seema Flower
Managing Director, Blind Ambition
If you have direct experience of how Access to Work has affected recruitment, retention or business continuity, consider submitting written evidence before the deadline.
Employment opportunity is expanding. The support system must expand with it.
