Access To Work

For those of you struggling to stay in work due to your chronic illness, I may have the solution.

I recently faced a huge dilemma which I am sure many others have faced. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic condition that causes extreme pain and fatigue, along with many other difficulties. In recent years my condition has worsened, making it not only hard for me to work, but also hard to get to and from work. These were my options:

Car: By the time I finish work I am usually overcome with fatigue due to my Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and feel it would be dangerous to drive home so I choose not to drive to work.

Bike: I have never been able to ride a bike due to the balance issues caused by my EDS. If I were able to ride a bike as a child, I would now probably be unable to anyway due to pain and fatigue.

Bus/Train: I am unable to use public transport to get to work as it is a 15 minute walk to my nearest bus stop and train station which is too far for me to walk. The pain and fatigue caused by my EDS makes it very difficult for me to walk far. If by some miracle I did manage to walk to the bus stop or train station then I am faced with even further difficulties. I usually travel to and from work in peak times, meaning public transport is very busy and it would be difficult to get a seat. I don't look disabled so it is unlikely anyone would offer me their seat. In addition to this, in order to get to the train station, I have to climb up a large number of steps, which is very difficult when your knees regularly sublux!

Taxi: This would solve all of the above problems, but it is very expensive!

It was clear my only option was to get taxis to and from work, but it meant that a huge sum of my wages was being spent on transport and I would have been better off not working. I knew there had to be another option, so I carried out some research. That's when I came across a scheme by Department of Work and Pensions called Access to Work.

The aim of access to work is to help as many people stay in work as possible, by eliminating challenges they face due to disabilities. Access to Work has two main branches:

1. Grants for Special Equipment

2. Travel to Work

The first branch helps ensure that your employer is meeting the criteria of the law by putting reasonable adjustments in place to help you to stay in work. Sometimes adjustments are made at the cost of the employer and sometimes Access to Work contribute towards the cost, depending on the level of adjustment that is needed. This can be especially helpful if your employer is not very forthcoming in making adjustments for you.

The second branch of Access to Work support is what I was particular interested in. The Travel to Work scheme aims to give support to people who are incurring extra costs getting to and from work due to their disability. My grant covers the cost of taxi journeys to and from work, minus the cost of public transport, so that I am paying the same amount to get to and from work as someone who is not disabled.

Applying for Travel to Work support can be a tedious process. You can apply online, but need to explain in detail why all other modes of transport are unsuitable. This is then followed up by several phone calls between yourself and access to work advisers who assess your needs. But once the application process is complete, it is well worth it. All you need to do to claim the taxi money back is fill in a form each month showing the number of journey's you've made to and from work that month, get it counter signed by your employer and then send it off to access to work along with your taxi receipts.

If it weren't for access to work, I do not know what I would do as I would not be able to afford to continue to pay for taxis everyday.

To find out more about access to work look on their website: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work