the best package is offered to suit the particular client’s employment scenario. On the other hand, where the client knows what they want through their own understanding of technology, this should be respected and acted upon by Access to Work. I first started work around 11 years ago “When Access to Work provided me with an assessment by a specialist in vision impairment needs. This was vital as I was unaware of the equipment available to me.” Today, however, the and assessors’ experience knowledge appears to be variable. This again points towards an inconsistent service. There is evidence that not all assessors have the intimate knowledge of the range of access technology for empowering people with sight loss. asked for a video magnifier to help me enlarge “I print but the assessor was unaware of the products available and asked me to source three quotes for a product of my choice. I know what to choose, didn’t so I went to Wales Council of the Blind for advice. not a great service from the assessor. I felt That’s like I had to do all the work myself.” assessor asked me do you “My ‘what want?’” Where a technical assessment has been done, our focus group expressed concern that the recommendations were not always implemented:
the best package is offered to suit the client’s particular employment scenario. On the other hand, where the client knows what they want through their own understanding of technology, this should be respected and acted upon by Access to Work. “When I first started work around 11 years ago Access to Work provided me with an assessment by a specialist in vision impairment needs. This was vital as I was unaware of the equipment available to me.” Today, however, the assessors’ experience and knowledge appears to be variable. This again points towards an inconsistent service. There is evidence that not all assessors have the intimate knowledge of the range of access technology for empowering people with sight loss. “I asked for a video magnifier to help me enlarge print but the assessor was unaware of the products available and asked me to source three quotes for a product of my choice. I didn’t know what to choose, so I went to Wales Council of the Blind for advice. That’s not a great service from the assessor. I felt like I had to do all the work myself.” “My assessor asked me ‘what do you want?’” Where a technical assessment has been done, our focus group expressed concern that the recommendations were not always implemented:
access_to_work_in_wales.docx