In a comment posted yesterday on Jen Dodds’ article on Access to Work Case studies, a Deaf man has revealed how a new Access to Work policy on contacting potential employers directly is affecting Deaf people’s job interviews and ultimately, their chances of getting employment.
Dean told us:
Hi all, a first post from myself. I thought I should say something else about AtW that hasn’t been mentioned: …a job interview.
I had a job interview last week which went very well. However getting an one-off funding from AtW for the interpreter was a nightmare and has ruined my excitement for the interview before it even started.
Usually when we get a job interview, we have to get in touch with AtW beforehand for the approved funding. The AtW advisor would need the details for the company, interviewer and venue where the interview would be taken at. That’s it. I had that four or five times last year with no problem.
BUT now… with the “new policy”, the AtW has to phone the interviewer directly before the interview and ask them if they will fund for my interpreter, without my permission.
I can’t say how wrong that is. All the interviewers usually don’t judge people before they meet them but with AtW phoning them asking the direct question, the interviewer would already have judged me, thinking “If they have done that, imagine if we employ him…do we have to pay extra for him being Deaf, etc etc”.
Access To Work has made an extra stress for myself if I want to look for a different job. I feel that they are trying to tell me not to work anymore and live on social benefits because it’s so cheap and hassle-less.
‘Access to Work’? Not really, it should be ‘Barriers to Work’. Disgraceful.
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Andrew
November 16, 2015
I have also been in touch with Access to Work, unfortunately they unable start the process. because their policy states that they can only initiate an application up to 6 weeks before I am due to start.
pennybsl
November 16, 2015
Do contact and report to Deaf ATW and Stop Changes to ATW.
The behaviour of ATW towards your prospective employer smacks of grossly inappropriate intrusion into your job-seeking journey.
It should have been just a simple call just to check that the job interview is genuine, not rattling out ‘we want you, boss, to pay for this etc etc’..
Bear in mind that the ‘changes to ATW’ have been carried out without proper impact assessment and consideration to deaf & disabled people applying for, or at, work.
We feel for you, Dean, because the actions of ATW staffing are harking back to the 50s, 60s, when people would ask hearing people about Deaf people, not asking directly to Deaf people.
Hope you get the desired outcome of your interview.
Natalya D
November 16, 2015
ERR WHUT? I don’t give AtW permission to talk to my employer without going through me. They HATE it, they try to tell me that’s impossible but I threatened them with the Data Protection Act and Equality Act and they backed down in my case (as long as I get appropriate things signed).
I agree it is inappropriate to contact employers before your interview to ask if they will fund the communication support. Did they tell you they were going to do this before they did it?
🙁 Yuck
Sophie
November 16, 2015
I know of one case where a deaf person was successful in their interview and just before the start date of the new job, an AtW advisor phoned the new employer to ask how much communication the boss would have with this new deaf employee.
The deaf person was leaving a job where he received 35 hours of support a week and was transferring to a similar role where the same hours of support would be needed.
When AtW asked the new boss, (unannounced and without telling the deaf person they would do this), how much would he be communicating with the deaf employee, the boss responded maybe once or twice or week and so AtW reduced the numbers of hours of support from 35 to 8. EIGHT!
The boss had misunderstood the question from AtW and thought they were asking specifically how much HE would talk directly to the deaf employee and was mortified his response on the phone was detrimental to the deaf person’s allotted hours. So much so, that he contacted AtW to reverse the decision (they wouldn’t) and the deaf person had to go through the process of PHSO which lasted MONTHS.
The arbitrary decisions made by AtW need to stop. It’s horrific the barriers that are being created so unnecessarily.
Darren Townsend-Handscomb
November 16, 2015
Dean, if you would like help to discuss this with DWP, then please contact me through Deafatw.com/about.html
Cathy
November 16, 2015
I have tried interviews on my own in order to sell myself and not have a prospective employer worried about interpreters.
This method has worked twice, but the catch is when training starts and I tell them I need an Interpreter, everything changes.
The first job was a cleaning company where the Manager lied about sending me an email, she thought by not sending the email I wouldnt turn up but I did!
I was thrown out of training room for not having information to hand, which all the other ladies had as they had been emailed!
This company quite simply did not want to pay for Interpreters! The manager gave me a new date, then lied to Manchester job club about a new date. When she emailed again the job had been taken away!!! Shocking behaviour!!
A second job in the care sector has turned out the same. They do not want to pay out and make all manner of excuses to get out of it!!!
The amount of discrimination is absolutely shocking and for ATW to muddy the waters in this way is a mortal sin!!!
Natalya D
November 16, 2015
Maybe we need to tell employers that we don’t want them to talk to AtW without talking to us first. If we don’t give them consent then legally they cannot and should not talk to anyone about our “disability” without us.
Nothing about us without us!
Tim
November 16, 2015
Surely the time is approaching when hearies will finally run out of ways to make our lives more difficult. They really are exhausting the possibilities.
Cathy
November 18, 2015
Tim, there is a loophole that needs to be closed. In the case of agencies they can get away with discrimination, this is because they only direct you to where your job is.
Once job is done, whoever had the job done pays you. This deems it Self Employment and means you cannot sue the agent for discrimination! This is what happened with the cleaning company.
It is a serious loophole that must be closed without fail!
Darren Townsend-Handscomb
December 20, 2015
Hi, AtW have changed this policy, and now will pay for an interpreter without asking the employer to pay 🙂 Please see http://www.deafatw.com/updates.html 20th December for more information about this.