Written evidence submitted by Royal National Institute for Deaf (ESD0094)

RNID submission with evidence from BID Services

RNID (Royal National Institute for Deaf People) represents the 18 million people with hearing loss, tinnitus and people who are deaf. There are 12 million people of working age who are aged between 18-65 with hearing loss or who are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus. We previously ran employment services in Northern Ireland and Wales to support people with hearing loss or who are deaf into the workplace and run a national campaign and undertake research to raise awareness of the reasonable adjustments available to make working easier for these groups too.

BID Services is a charity which works to remove barriers and deliver services which enable and empower those who are D/deaf, hard of hearing, sight impaired, deafblind or have other disabilities to live full lives. Those who are d/Deaf sometimes need support to help them look for a job or to access training and education opportunities, BID Services employment service has been specifically designed to meet their needs. The service also provides advice and support to employers.

1. Why has progress with closing the disability employment gap slowed in recent years?

We are disappointed that there has been a persistent failure to close the disability employment gap across the UK. The latest government figures show that this remains stuck at just under 30% (with a disability employment rate of 53% and a non-disabled employment rate of 83%).[1] This not only has a negative financial impact on deaf and disabled people, but we believe that this exclusion from employment is a direct driver of the poor wellbeing results for disabled people.[2]

There are 18 million people in the UK who are deaf, have hearing loss, or tinnitus. Within this community, deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users face particularly stark employment challenges: only 32.5% of those who report BSL as their main language are in work, compared to 77% of non-disabled people. One in three deaf BSL users of working age are long-term economically inactive[3].

The deaf BSL community is one of the most marginalised groups of disabled people, and yet data on their status in the employment market is not routinely collected by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the Labour Force Survey. The only credible data we have for the employment status of deaf BSL users comes from the census, which means that government cannot track the impact of employment support policy for this group.

Whilst there are positive statistics around the increasing number of deaf and disabled people in work, it must be recognised that this is largely based on an increase in the number of people who identify as disabled. Although this is welcome, it does indicate the limitation of the total number of disabled people in work as a metric to be targeted. If the Government is to meet the target set out in Get Britian Working of raising the employment rate to 80% then it needs to focus on closing the disability employment gap.

Recommendation: The government should bring forward a new target to halve the disability employment gap.

Recommendation: The government should undertake a regular analysis of the employment rates for deaf BSL users, so that it can look at the need for, and effectiveness of, labour market interventions to support this group.

2. What barriers prevent disabled people who want to work, or to work more, from doing so? How do these vary for different disabilities? How do these vary across the country?

Deaf people, particularly BSL users, face persistent and multifaceted barriers to employment. These barriers stem from societal attitudes, workplace practices, and systemic failures in support provision. Our It Does Matter report provides compelling evidence of the scale and impact of these challenges.

We believe that negative public attitudes and stigma towards people who are deaf or have hearing loss is the biggest barriers to workplace participation for our community. According to our research, 82% of BSL users agree that stigma towards deaf people and those with hearing loss still exists, and 71% believe that most people hold negative attitudes toward them. Alarmingly, 71% of BSL users also feel that people perceive them as less intelligent than hearing individuals which reflects the experiences of negative attitudes on the inclusion and wellbeing of deaf BSL users.[4]

Experiences in the workplace reflect this: 49% of BSL users have experienced negative behaviours from colleagues, and 32% from managers. These interactions often result in emotional distress: 59% of BSL users reported feeling frustrated, 56% disrespected, and 53% excluded due to such experiences.[5] These feelings and experiences can discourage deaf individuals from seeking employment or remaining in work, especially in environments lacking deaf awareness.

Communication barriers are another significant issue. RNID’s report shows that 77% of BSL users feel most people don’t know how to communicate with them, and 63% have experienced people speaking to someone accompanying them rather than directly to them. This undermines autonomy and confidence, making workplace integration more difficult.

Geographic disparities exacerbate these challenges. Access to BSL interpreters, deaf-friendly employment services, and peer support varies across the UK. In rural or underserved areas, deaf individuals may struggle to access the support they need, while urban areas may offer more resources but also face systemic issues like long waiting times or limited funding.

Employer knowledge and attitudes are also critical barriers. RNID’s earlier research found that 57% of deaf employees cited employer ignorance as a barrier to accessing support, and 37% reported employer reluctance to help. These issues are compounded by a lack of understanding of available support schemes, such as Access to Work with only 1 in 5 employers having heard of the scheme in 2024[6][7]

RNID’s findings underscore the urgent need for systemic change and reinforce the need for the creation of an Employer Hub to provide guidance and resources, and for reforms to existing support schemes. They also support our call for co-designed employment programmes and better data collection on deaf BSL users to inform policy and practice.

Ultimately, the barriers to employment for deaf people are not just logistical, they are deeply rooted in societal attitudes and institutional shortcomings. Addressing these requires a coordinated effort to improve deaf awareness, provide tailored support, and ensure inclusive practices across all regions of the UK.

Furthermore, insights provided by BID Services, who run a specialist employment service for people with hearing loss and who are deaf, show that addressing confidence and lack of deaf awareness from employers is key.

Whilst these barriers are not directly attributable to government policy, they do show where government interventions across the labour market can have a positive impact on the life chances of people who are deaf or have hearing loss. Our subsequent answers are all rooted in the need to overcome the problems we have addressed in this question.

3. What kinds of support are most effective at supporting people with different disabilities (such as physical, mental or fluctuating conditions) to enter and stay in work?

Deaf people and people with hearing loss are less likely to be employed than the general population. Effective support must address the barriers that people who are deaf or have hearing loss experience in accessing employment, reaching those who are furthest from the labour market.

BID Services have extensive experience supporting deaf people and people with hearing loss into work and collaborating with employers across the Midlands, Northern England and the East of England. With core services well established, in 2021 BID Services launched STEP Ahead Online to extend its offer beyond existing geographical areas, engage and raise awareness with more employers, and build an accessible online resource for jobseekers and employers.

Between 2021 and 2024, the programme provided employment support to 285 deaf people and people with hearing loss, with 65 achieving paid employment (23%) and 103 making meaningful progression into education, training, volunteering or work experience (36%)[8] These outcomes were achieved despite staffing shortages and limited resources. These are promising results, especially as the STEP Ahead programme serves people who typically have negative experiences of accessing mainstream employment support.

The project also focused on establishing relationships with employers through the Stakeholder Engagement Officer role and strengthening inclusive recruitment strategies. The programme saw an increase in employers advertising their vacancies with subtitled videos in BSL and sharing these vacancies via social media, which promoted more job opportunities to more deaf [9] A case study from the job programme included creating opportunities for training:

A beneficiary in Job Club had been made redundant from his job as a Laboratory Technician and wanted to find employment within the same role. After contacting several companies, the SEO discovered that the technician job was obsolete due to improved technology.

When discussing finding a different career path, the beneficiary mentioned that he had an interest in I.T but no experience or qualifications in that area. The SEO agreed to research what training was available and found several courses but none that was willing to fund an interpreter, until he came across iMeta Training who provide cybersecurity training and mentioned diversity and inclusion as a value on their website.

The course manager at iMeta had an awareness of the barriers D/deaf people face and was keen to collaborate with the SEO. Their courses are government funded and the manager was confident that they could fund interpreters for a Cybercrime Level 2 course. To make it cost-efficient, it was agreed that the SEO would recruit a group of 10 D/deaf people for face-to-face training in a classroom setting at iMeta’s nearby premises, which are easy for SAO beneficiaries to access. iMeta usually deliver their courses online on pre-set dates but agreed to face-to-face delivery and more flexible session length and timing to make it more accessible for D/deaf people. iMeta also offered to link people with prospective employers once they had completed the training.[10]

The majority of staff members being deaf or having hearing loss was of benefit to participants and they were able to act as role models, with many having been through BID’s Employment Service in previous years and gaining the opportunity to move up the career ladder. One reason for the high staff turnover was that several employees gained valuable work experience and left to take up higher level jobs, evidencing how the project helps people to achieve their aspirational goals and develop their careers.[11]

Tailored and accessible support

BID Services provides highly personalised and accessible support to deaf people and people with hearing loss seeking employment, including support through preferred communication methods. Access to employment support in BSL is particularly important for deaf people whose main language is BSL. BID Services also offer wrap-around support that begins with opportunities to improve writing, IT and Maths skills, gain qualifications, build confidence and learn about career opportunities.[12]

Service users are also supported through one-to-one coaching, job clubs, help with CV writing, and interview preparation. These touchpoints can help reduce isolation and address barriers like low expectations that some deaf people and people with hearing loss have experienced. Support and guidance can continue in-work, with BID helping clients to navigate Access to Work funding and workplace adjustments.[13]

Recommendation: Invest in tailored employment support programmes for deaf people and people with hearing loss that include early interventions and in-work support to address additional barriers they may experience into employment.

Recommendation: Ensure employment support is accessible to those with varying communication needs and preferences, including BSL users.

Employer engagement

A lack of deaf awareness from employers and colleagues is one of the most significant barriers for deaf people and people with hearing loss to enter and stay in employment. Most people in our communities have felt stressed at work because of their hearing loss, and public polling by RNID found in 2023 that over a quarter of people would feel uncomfortable managing someone who was deaf or had hearing [14][15]

BID Services focuses on connecting deaf candidates with prospective employers and working with these employers to become inclusive workplaces. Their dedicated team has built relationships with employers like Amazon, Ocado, LIDL and Sainsburys, as well as accessible training opportunities for more specialised careers. The service also promotes job opportunities using BSL videos on social media to support employers in reaching deaf BSL users as potential candidates.

Beyond training, employers are looking for more ways to become inclusive workplaces. BID Services provides employers with deaf awareness training, while RNID, in partnership with Signature, have also produced online training to support managers with recruiting, managing and supporting deaf staff. However, many employers do not necessarily know about these resources or understand their obligations around reasonable adjustments, creating a need for easily accessible information to be made available and marketed to employers in order to adequately support deaf staff. RNID have long advocated for an Employer Information Hub with information freely available on how to recruit and support staff with disabilities.

Recommendation: Expand employment services that engage employers directly to support inclusive recruitment and employment strategies.

Recommendation: Invest in an online UK-wide Employer Information Hub and services that offer support and deaf awareness training for employers.

4. How effective is the support provided by Disability Employment Advisers? Are they able to support across all disabilities?

Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) play a vital role in supporting disabled people into and within work. However, there is evidence to suggest that their effectiveness in supporting people who are deaf or have hearing loss is currently limited by a lack of specialist knowledge, inconsistent training, and systemic gaps in service provision.

A key issue is lack of deaf awareness and communication skills among DEAs. RNID has called for improved training for work coaches and employment advisers, particularly in understanding the communication preferences and barriers faced by deaf individuals. Without this, DEAs may struggle to provide meaningful support, especially to those who rely on BSL or require assistive technologies.

RNID also notes that data on deaf people’s employment experiences is limited, making it difficult to assess how well DEAs are serving this group. The broad categorisation of “difficulty hearing” in labour force surveys masks the diverse needs within the deaf and hearing loss community. This lack of granularity hinders the development of targeted support strategies and training for DEAs.

In addition, access to support schemes like Access to Work remains low. RNID’s research found that only a quarter of people who had heard of Access to Work were actually accessing it.[16] DEAs could play a crucial role in bridging this gap, but many lack the awareness or confidence to guide deaf individuals through the process. This is particularly problematic during probation periods, when delays in securing communication support can jeopardise job retention.

While DEAs have the potential to support across all disabilities, their current capacity to meet the specific needs of deaf people and those with hearing loss is limited. With targeted reforms and investment in specialist training, they could become a much more effective resource in closing the disability employment gap.

Recommendation: Specialist training in deaf awareness and communication. DEAs should receive mandatory training on the needs of people who are deaf or have hearing loss, including how to support BSL users and those using assistive technologies.

Recommendation: Integration with employer-focused initiatives. DEAs should work closely with an Employers’ Disability Information Hub, as proposed by RNID, to ensure consistent messaging and support across the employment journey.

Recommendation: Peer-led and community-based support. RNID recommends empowering deaf individuals to self-advocate and provide peer support, which DEAs could help facilitate.

5. What can the Government learn from the Work and Health Programme?

6. How successful has Access to Work been at supporting disabled people into work? How could it be improved?

Access to Work is a vital scheme to enable deaf people and people with hearing loss to have equal access to employment, representing the second largest user group and largest expenditure group, mostly due to the costs of BSL translation.[17]

Testimony from beneficiaries of BID Services show the impact of Access to Work, describing the scheme as “life-changing … unlocking potential, enabling inclusion, and ensuring the deaf community can thrive”. One recipient describes how without Access to Work providing interpreters, “I would be left on the sidelines, unable to participate, unable to progress, and unable to show my true potential”.[18]

If disabled people need support to work which extends beyond reasonable adjustments that the Equality Act demands of employers, then Access to Work must fund those adjustments. Over half of respondents to a 2019 RNID survey identified assistive equipment and communication support as the most valuable form of workplace support. For many, work would not be possible without access to BSL interpreters, speech-to-text reporters, or assistive technology like hearing aids and Roger devices. The same survey revealed that some applicants didn’t receive adjustments because their employer refused to pay the cost-share. The responsibility currently sits with disabled people to take employers to court and establish legal precedence. We believe greater enforcement of employers who do not provide reasonable adjustments, alongside better guidance for employers, would help disabled people access the support they need from employers and through Access to Work.

Recommendation: Maintain the principle that Access to Work covers costs beyond the reasonable adjustments required under the Equality Act, especially for individuals with ongoing high-cost needs, such as BSL users.

Recommendation: Support employers by establishing a clear remit for Access to Work and employer responsibilities, clarifying the definition of ‘reasonable adjustment’. The EHRC should take a more proactive role in offering practical guidance.

Recommendation: Establish an enforcement mechanism to ensure employers fulfil their legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments. This gap would become even more pressing if the government shifts more responsibility onto employers.

We do not believe that Access to Work requires fundamental reform in terms of its overall role or policy design, however, operational delivery is currently in crisis. In Spring 2025, the average wait time for an Access to Work application was 92 days and in September 2025 the total number of people with applications waiting is around 65,000. In addition to delays, the service suffers from outdated systems and limited capability to handle individualised and complex cases effectively. RNID have heard experiences from our community of being recommended inappropriate adjustments for their condition, and with huge numbers of reconsideration requests, the case management process is not working as it should. The service must be appropriately funded, using more efficient and effective systems and processes that may include automation of recommendations, and supporting case managers through training and access to knowledge on specific conditions. The scheme could be supported through greater opportunity to feedback on how awards have supported individuals, creating loops of continuous improvement.

Recommendation: Modernise Access to Work’s outdated operational systems, which currently hinder its ability to manage application volumes. Invest and support case managers through training and access to specialist information or consultancy. The scheme should explore the use of AI and other technologies to generate recommendations for advisers, reducing time spent and avoiding inappropriate suggestions.

Recommendation: Prioritise individual needs and preferences during assessments to ensure that recommended adjustments are appropriate for the individual and their circumstances. Introduce feedback mechanisms that allow users to evaluate the appropriateness of their awards, including the technology, equipment, or personnel provided. This would improve individual outcomes and help advisers learn what works.

7. How successful has the Disability Confident scheme been at improving employer practices? How could it be improved?

RNID has always welcomed the intentions behind the Disability Confident scheme; it has correctly identified the lack of knowledge, and awareness that many employers need to successfully recruit, onboard and retain deaf and disabled employees. While its intentions are commendable, there is ample evidence which demonstrates that its impact on improving employer practices for people who are deaf or have hearing loss has been limited and inconsistent.[19]

The scheme aims to encourage employers to think differently about disability and to create inclusive workplaces. For people with hearing loss, this includes promoting awareness of non-visible disabilities and encouraging open conversations about support needs. However, RNID has found that the scheme lacks the depth and ambition needed to drive meaningful change. It does not sufficiently challenge employers to identify and remove the barriers they create for disabled workers and applicants. We would also like the scheme to recognise the barriers which are created by recruitment consultants and employment agencies – who play a large role in placing people into work – but too often they don’t understand how they need to support deaf and disabled people.

Moreover, the scheme suffers from a lack of robust evaluation. RNID and other disability organisations have called for a comprehensive review of its effectiveness including calling for employers to work to progress to Level 2 or risk losing Level 1 accreditation. Without clear metrics or accountability, it is difficult to assess whether participating employers are genuinely improving their practices or simply meeting minimum requirements.

To improve the scheme, RNID recommends several key reforms.

Recommendation: Introduce a stronger evaluation framework. Employers should be required to demonstrate progress in recruiting and supporting disabled staff, including deaf people and those with hearing loss. This could include publishing data on disability employment rates and staff satisfaction.

Recommendation: Create an Employers’ Disability Information Hub. RNID advocates for a centralised resource offering tailored guidance, case studies, and practical tools for employers. This hub would help employers understand their legal obligations, access support schemes like Access to Work, and implement effective workplace adjustments

Recommendation: Enhance deaf awareness training. Employers need targeted training to understand the communication needs of deaf employees, including BSL users, and people with hearing loss. Information on conditions should be a core component of the Disability Confident scheme, not an optional extra.

While the Disability Confident scheme has raised awareness of disability inclusion, its impact on deaf and hearing loss communities remains limited despite 12 million adults of working age in the UK having some degree of hearing loss in one or both ears. With targeted reforms, stronger accountability, and better integration with support services, it could become a more powerful tool for driving inclusive employment practices.

Successful pathways to and in employment are not solely down to the support of employers and employees: there are multiple other stakeholders who can be instrumental in enabling deaf and disabled people to obtain work or thrive and progress in their careers - recruiters, job boards, online platforms like the National Careers Service, apprenticeship and corporate training providers all play a key role. These organisations should not just be Disability Confident employers of their own staff but should be encouraged to continuously improve the accessibility of their offering to ensure they meet the needs of deaf and disabled people.

Recommendation: Undertake a review into the extent to which the wider employment sector enables and supports the employment of deaf and disabled people, with a view to identifying potential interventions to strengthen provision.

8. How well is Connect to Work working? Does it work better in some circumstances, or for some disabilities, than others?

Connect to Work has been promoted to voluntary sector providers as a potential source of funds to deliver employment support, however, it seems almost impossible for specialist provisions to tender for the opportunities because of the strict requirements of the programme. While it is important for the Government to measure the impact of such programmes, a short-term ‘payment by results’ model can result in an inflexible system that is not realistic for most specialist providers to operate under in order to achieve results for people furthest from the labour market.

Regarding requirements, providers are required to have staff in post, with almost no lead in or mobilisation time, for example, a successful provider for Connect to Work may be required to have 10 coaches in post ready to start from Day One which would not be possible for many specialist providers looking for funding. Successful providers are also expected to deliver against IPES and SEQF frameworks at the same time, which would require smaller providers to gain accreditations in both at the same time. There is also an extremely quick turnaround for Expressions of Interest (EOI) in the programme, which requires providers to submit them in two weeks, with one week to raise questions. Given the complexity of the model and need for staff in post, this again makes it almost impossible for specialist providers to apply or build consortia with others to apply as a group.

Further, funding is ‘payment by results’ and given the barriers that deaf people and people with hearing loss experience, the risks are too high for providers to be confident they will receive funding, especially when the only recognised output is job outcomes and clients must be in work for 3 months before the service receives payment. The programme lacks the flexibility required to support clients with sensory impairments in a way that is person-centred and responsive to their individual communication and access needs. The current structure of the programme does not allow clients sufficient control over identifying what support they need or how that support should be delivered. This is particularly problematic for deaf people and people with sensory loss, whose needs are often highly individualised and cannot be met by a one-size-fits-all approach.

Given these challenges, we do not believe that Connect to Work as it exists presents a good enough opportunity for specialist services, as it relies on short timelines and narrow results rather than a more holistic view of support for people to become economically active.

9. What effect does the Motability scheme have on employment outcomes for disabled people?

10. What should the Government prioritise with its additional employment support for disabled people arising from the Pathways to Work Green Paper?

The Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out £1bn extra spending for employment support, with a view for the employment support offer to include: a new support conversation; specialist one-to-one support; more intensive longer-term work, health and skills support, and periodic engagement. We would like to see this support directed towards people who are the furthest from the labour market, which includes many in our communities who are deaf BSL users or have hearing loss.

Learnings shared from BID Services’ STEP Ahead Online, which offered tailored employment support to deaf people and people with hearing loss, show that taking into account the challenges that these groups face in attaining paid employment can have more success than mainstream methods. The majority of participants who engaged with the programme identified as Deaf (228 people).

They offer a mix of approaches to getting deaf people into employment, including one-to-one career planning with a specialist employment coach, a drop-in Job Club where attendees could research job opportunities and gain support with applications and their CV. The programme also considered factors that relate to people’s employability, including driving theory test workshops to help people gain a driving licence and developing accredited Life Skills training with ASDAN that can be evidenced with signed videos.

Another strength of the programme is that alongside support for deaf individuals, it employed a Stakeholder Engagement Officer to maintain and build relationships with employers to create job opportunities for deaf people and to develop recruitment support models. This helped to create local job opportunities that had accessibility in mind. The Stakeholder Engagement Officer (SEO) made contact with Amazon’s Workforce Community Engagement team and agreed a minimum of 5 vacancies for SAO beneficiaries with a fast-track process portal and supported in a Pilot of arranging the recruitment process and induction training with interpreters. Amazon were so happy with the outcome of the pilot, they have rolled out the recruitment process for deaf communities at sites across England.

Between 2021 and 2024, the programme succeeded in helping 103 deaf people and people with hearing loss achieve meaningful progression, including into education, training, volunteering or work experience. Additionally, 65 participants were able to achieve paid employment. These are seen as very favourable result despite the programme facing capacity issues due to staff shortages, and their evaluation found that with greater staff numbers they could have achieved more impact.

Recommendation: Employment support should include employer engagement to help employers with Deaf Awareness Training and establishing accessible recruitment and onboarding processes.

Recommendation: The DWP should explore opportunities to expand tailored employment support for deaf BSL users and people with hearing loss to better support them to achieve meaningful progression towards employment.

Recommendation: Employment support should be available in British Sign Language (BSL).

Recommendation: Employment coaches should receive deaf awareness training and have access to information about the barriers that deaf people and people with hearing loss face in accessing employment in order to provide better quality advice.

Access to volunteering

One area that could benefit from greater funding is access to volunteering for people who are looking to develop employable skills. Research shows that volunteering can lead to developing new skills, more confidence, improved health and wellbeing, and gaining experience.[20] However, there is no Access to Work funding available to cover the costs of adjustments needed to make volunteering opportunities accessible to deaf and disabled people, and JobCentre Plus funds are at the discretion of advisers without clear guidance on their use.

NCVO’s Time Well Spent report found that 12% of respondents who didn’t volunteer said it was because they have an illness or disability that prevents them from getting involved. Additionally, 14% of respondents said they were worried that they might end up out of pocket.[21] For deaf BSL users, cost is a significant barrier to getting a BSL interpreter for a day of volunteering as the standard full-day fee for an interpreter in London is £360. [22] This is well beyond what most people can afford.

Recommendation: Currently, Access to Work only funds adjustments in for people in work, but we believe it should be extended to people who need support volunteering that are not in employment. It would also provide an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the Access to Work application process, which would help them secure better adjustments in the workplace.

Recommendation: JobCentre Plus’ discretionary funds to support people to access work experience should have updated guidance to allow them to also be spent on reasonable adjustments for people who want to try volunteering or work experience.

11. What should be the focus of the 1,000 Pathway to Work advisors?

12. Are there any international examples, or examples from the devolved nations, of effective disability employment support that the Government could learn from?

Improving Employer Confidence and Communication with Deaf People

RNID has consistently advocated for the creation of a centralised disability information hub for employers. The most significant barrier to deaf people and people with hearing loss in the workplace is a lack of knowledge and understanding from managers and colleagues.  This has an impact on the workplace with 25% of deaf people having experienced negative attitudes from colleagues, which jumps to 49% for BSL users.[23] Previous research by RNID has reflected these findings, showing that employers often lack the confidence and resources to effectively support and communicate with deaf people and people with hearing loss.[24] Employers also need support with understanding their obligations to provide reasonable adjustments, which remains ambiguous under the Equality Act and left to disabled people to challenge in courts to create legal precedence. RNID would like to see the EHRC take a proactive approach in creating clear guidance for employers. Collating resources in a disability information hub would serve as a one-stop shop offering guidance, support, and signposting to help employers recruit and retain disabled staff confidently.

The Australian Government’s Job Access online service services as a model for a comprehensive employer information hub. Job Access provides practical advice on inclusive recruitment and workplace adjustments, supported by a free helpline and links to specialist organisations who can support with specific conditions.[25] Evaluation of the service found over 70% of audiences agreed the service helps people with disability remain in work, and over half of employers and Employment Service Providers believe it increases knowledge of employer responsibilities and confidence in working with disabled people.[26]

Recommendation: The Government should establish an employers’ disability information hub, modelled on Australia’s Job Access, to improve employer confidence and inclusion. This should include guidance from the EHRC on provision of reasonable adjustments.

13. To what extent is the success of DWP’s plans to improve disability employment contingent on improvements made to other public services, in particular, health?

The success of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) plans to improve disability employment is significantly contingent on improvements made to other public services, particularly the NHS. In this answer we will focus on the problems experienced in NHS audiology services, and the negative health impacts for people who are deaf or have hearing loss of inaccessible healthcare services – both of which we believe are contributing to people remaining outside the labour market or falling out of employment. 

We know that NHS audiology services are under severe strain. Audiology is one of the worst performing diagnostics services across the NHS and what little Referral to Treatment waiting time data we have suggests that it is not unusual for patients to wait a year for treatment.[27] This is the case despite hearing loss being subject to massive under-diagnosis and people not taking action when they realise they have a problem: an estimated 8 million adults could benefit from hearing aids but only about 3 million people use them, whilst 38% of people who think they may have a hearing loss have not spoken to a health professional about it.[28]

Through the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the Government acknowledged the connection between health and work, and we believe that establishing equal access to the workplace requires investment into Audiology services for deaf people and people with hearing loss.

14. How can DWP apply a systems-based approach to safeguarding in the design and delivery of employment support for disabled people?

RNID support the Work and Pensions Committee recommendation for the Department of Work and Pensions to have a statutory duty to safeguard vulnerable claimants and also agree that a systems-based approach to safeguarding in the design and delivery of employment support for disabled people is sensible, but also that this approach should be co-produced with disabled people and sector experts.

While a systems-based approach will allow the DWP to better understand the interconnectedness of the employment landscape and the opportunities to consider safeguarding at different points of policy development, embedding co-production into the design and delivery process will better ensure that disabled people’s needs are taken into account, and will also help build stronger, more trusting relationships between the government and disabled communities.

While the systems-based approach includes elements of co-design, we would like to see the DWP go further and have early involvement of disabled people to help shape the policy objectives and to have a say in the decision making. This means it is necessarily an on-going process rather than a one-off activity.

This means ensuring that there is accessibility and inclusion built into the process, to ensure that disabled people are able to fully participate and understand the framework that safeguarding and employment policy operate in. For people with hearing loss and who are deaf, this means ensuring there is appropriate communication support available for meetings, including BSL interpreters and speech to text reporters (STTR), and that written materials are available in plain English.

RNID have already engaged with the Minister Stephen Timms through the Disabled Charities Consortium (DCC) to share information about the principles of co-production as part of the Timms Review of reforming Personal Independence Payment. We believe that these principles should be applied to any policy design and delivery approach- including safeguarding.

Recommendation: The DWP must go beyond simply engaging with disabled people and embed co-production into a systems-based approach to safeguarding they take to design and delivery of employment support.

October 2025