The disability adviser for staff works in the disability support office (DSO) at the University of Manchester and has worked to ensure the process of accessing Access to Work funds is streamlined and consistent for disabled staff.
Although individual staff are responsible for applying to Access to Work, the DSO assists staff with applications, reducing the pressure on line managers to do this, resulting in a more efficient process.
If staff agree, all Travel to Work claims are dealt with through the staff adviser, including taxi contracts and claim forms to Access to Work, removing the burden of this lengthy administrative process for disabled staff themselves.
All Access to Work-funded equipment is purchased centrally by the DSO, so access to equipment is not dependent on the actions of individual line managers across the institution.