People should not have to work harder simply because an environment was not designed with their needs in mind. Reasonable adjustments remove or reduce these barriers so disabled and neurodivergent people can learn, work and participate more fairly.
Under the Equality Act 2010, making reasonable adjustments is a legal duty in certain circumstances. But good adjustments go further than compliance. They give people practical ways to access information, communicate and show what they can do.
What are reasonable adjustments?
Reasonable adjustments are changes made to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to disability. They can apply across education, employment and access to services, although the legal duties work differently depending on the setting.
Under the Equality Act 2010, reasonable adjustments can include changing how something is done, changing a physical feature, or providing extra equipment or support.
In practice, this could mean:
- Changing how something is done: Offering flexible working hours, changing an interview format or providing information before a meeting.
- Changing the environment: Improving physical access, changing lighting or providing a quieter space.
- Providing equipment or support: Using assistive technology, accessible documents, communication support or specialist equipment.
At work, an employee or job applicant may request an adjustment from their employer. In education, students or families may discuss support with teachers, SENDCos, disability services or other relevant staff. Employers and education providers also have responsibilities to consider and put appropriate adjustments in place.
The right adjustment depends on the individual and the barrier they face. It is about creating fair access, not giving someone an unfair advantage.
Who can reasonable adjustments support?
The Equality Act protects people with disabilities. In legal terms, a person is generally considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
This can include people with physical or sensory disabilities, long-term health conditions and mental health conditions. Neurodivergent people with dyslexia, ADHD, autism or other differences may also meet the Equality Act definition depending on how their needs affect everyday activities.
This is important because support should focus on the barrier and its impact, rather than assuming everyone with the same diagnosis needs the same adjustment.
For example, two people with dyslexia may experience very different barriers. One might benefit most from text-to-speech, while another may need additional processing time or support organising written information.
Do you need a diagnosis?
A formal diagnosis can provide useful information, but it should not always be the starting point for a conversation about support.
In the workplace, an employer needs enough information to understand that someone may be disabled and experiencing a disadvantage. In education, the exact process will depend on the setting and support being requested.
This matters when people face long waits for assessment or don’t feel comfortable disclosing a diagnosis. Making commonly useful tools and accessible ways of working available more widely can help remove barriers without requiring every person to disclose first.
When should organisations make reasonable adjustments?
The duty to make reasonable adjustments depends on the setting and circumstances.
For employers, the duty can arise when they know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that someone has a disability and is experiencing a disadvantage. This might become clear through a request for support, a conversation about work, or other information.
The duty also extends to recruitment. Adjustments might include providing interview questions in writing, allowing extra processing time or changing how an assessment is completed.
Education providers and service providers also have duties under the Equality Act. In some settings, this includes thinking about barriers in advance rather than waiting until an individual has already been disadvantaged.
The wider principle is useful for every organisation: we should not always wait for someone to struggle before making an environment more accessible.
What makes an adjustment reasonable?
There is no single list of adjustments that will be reasonable in every situation. What works depends on the person, the barrier and the organisation.
Factors can include:
- How effectively the adjustment removes the disadvantage
- How practical it is to put in place
- The cost and resources available
- Any relevant health and safety considerations
- Whether another option could remove the barrier effectively
For example, providing speech-to-text software might be a practical way to remove a writing barrier for one person. Someone else may need a different tool or way of working.
The conversation should therefore start with what barrier are we trying to remove?, rather than choosing an adjustment based only on a label or diagnosis.
What can reasonable adjustments look like?
Many reasonable adjustments are small changes to how people access information, communicate or work. Others may involve specialist technology, equipment or changes to the environment.
Flexible ways of learning and working
Flexibility can help when standard schedules or environments create unnecessary barriers. Examples might include flexible start and finish times, remote or hybrid working, movement breaks, access to quieter spaces, or additional time to complete certain tasks.
In education, flexibility could mean providing different ways to participate in a lesson or access the same learning material.
Clearer communication and information
Sometimes the barrier is not the task itself, but how information is presented. Adjustments could include:
- Providing written instructions after verbal conversations
- Sharing meeting agendas or lesson materials in advance
- Using captions or transcripts
- Providing accessible digital formats
- Breaking complex information into clear sections
These approaches can be necessary for some people and useful for many others.
Assistive technology and equipment
Assistive technology can give people different ways to read, write, communicate and process information. Text-to-speech can read digital information aloud. Speech-to-text can support people who find typing or handwriting difficult. Other tools can help with organisation, vocabulary, focus or understanding written information.
Making these tools available as part of everyday learning and working can also reduce the need for people to repeatedly request basic accessibility support.
Adjustments in education and assessments
Reasonable adjustments in education can include accessible learning materials, assistive technology, sensory adjustments and changes to how students access teaching.
Assessment adjustments are more specific. Depending on the assessment and individual need, these might include extra time, assistive technology, rest breaks or an adapted format.
Formal examinations have their own rules, so schools and colleges should follow the relevant awarding body requirements rather than assuming an everyday classroom adjustment can automatically be used in an exam.
How to request and put reasonable adjustments in place
Good reasonable adjustments usually come from a conversation rather than a fixed checklist.
1. Identify the barrier
Start with what is making it harder for someone to learn, work or participate. Being specific helps. Rather than saying "meetings are difficult", someone might explain that processing spoken information while taking notes means they miss important details.
2. Discuss what could help
The individual often has valuable insight into what works for them. Employers, educators or support teams may also be able to suggest other options. The aim should be to find an effective solution together rather than expecting one person to fit an existing way of doing things.
3. Share relevant information where needed
Some adjustments or funding routes may require supporting information. What is needed will depend on the situation. The focus should remain on understanding the barrier and its impact rather than collecting evidence for the sake of it.
4. Agree and record the adjustment
Once an adjustment is agreed, recording what will happen can give everyone clarity. This could include what support is being provided, when it starts and who is responsible for putting it in place.
5. Review whether it works
Needs, roles and environments can change. Checking in after an adjustment has been introduced gives both sides an opportunity to understand whether it is removing the barrier or needs to change.
Who pays for reasonable adjustments?
The individual with the disability should not be charged for a reasonable adjustment that an organisation has a legal duty to provide.
In the workplace, employers are responsible for reasonable adjustments. However, government support may help with some additional costs.
Access to Work
Access to Work is a UK government scheme that can help disabled people get practical support to start or stay in work.
Depending on individual circumstances, support can include specialist equipment, assistive technology, support workers or help travelling to work.
Access to Work does not replace an employer's Equality Act responsibilities. It can, however, help fund support that goes beyond the reasonable adjustments an employer is expected to provide.
Disabled Students' Allowance
For students in higher education, Disabled Students' Allowance can help with additional study-related costs linked to disability.
This can include specialist equipment, software and other support depending on the student's assessed needs and the funding rules that apply.
How technology can remove barriers
Assistive technology can make reasonable adjustments easier to build into everyday learning and work.
The important point is not simply providing a tool. It is giving people the flexibility to access information and communicate in ways that work for them.
For someone who finds dense written information difficult to process, text-to-speech can provide another way to access it. Speech-to-text can help someone express ideas without handwriting or typing becoming the barrier. Reading and writing tools can also support vocabulary, spelling, organisation and comprehension.
Our technology is designed around different ways of learning, working and communicating. In education, Read&Write provides reading and writing support within everyday digital environments. In the workplace, Everway for Work gives employees access to tools that support different ways of reading, writing and processing information. Together, these tools can give people more choice in how they access information and express their ideas.
The principle behind this extends beyond one product. Tools that are necessary for some can be useful for all. Making accessible technology widely available can create environments where support feels normal rather than exceptional.
Building more inclusive schools and workplaces
Reasonable adjustments matter because individual needs matter. But organisations can also learn from them. If the same barrier affects many people, there may be an opportunity to change the environment rather than repeatedly adjusting it one person at a time.
Clear communication, flexible ways of working, accessible technology and different ways to participate can benefit much wider groups of learners and employees.
This is where reasonable adjustments and neuroinclusion meet. We still need individual support where it is required, but we can also design schools and workplaces where fewer barriers exist in the first place.
Frequently asked questions about reasonable adjustments
Do I need a formal medical diagnosis to request a reasonable adjustment?
Not necessarily. A diagnosis can be useful evidence, but the Equality Act focuses on whether someone meets the legal definition of disability and experiences a substantial disadvantage. The information required will depend on the adjustment and circumstances.
Can reasonable adjustments be temporary?
Yes. An adjustment may be needed for a limited period where circumstances or needs change. Organisations should consider the individual situation and review whether the adjustment remains appropriate.
How often should reasonable adjustments be reviewed?
There is no single review schedule that works for everyone. Adjustments should be reviewed when needs, roles, learning environments or circumstances change, or when there is evidence that the existing support is no longer effective.