Working for Work 16th Edition 2009 Chapter 4 - page 69

Workplace Equipment/Adaptation Grant (WEAG)

This scheme is paid to assist employers to make the workplace more accessible to persons with disabilities. It is also available to self-employed people with disabilities. This grant is restricted to the private sector and the maximum award is normally €6,350.

Supported Employment Programme (SEP)

The Supported Employment Programme provides additional assistance for disabled persons to find and obtain employment. Support is provided through a range of organisations and included among the supports are Job Coaches who assist disabled persons and their employers.
- Under its Job Interview Interpreter Grant Scheme (JIIGS) FÁS will normally pay a fee of €106.68 for a three hour period to provide for the services of an interpreter to support speech or hearing impaired persons who wish to attend job interviews. Travel costs for the interpreter are paid at a fixed rate.
- The Personal Reader Grant (PRG) enables blind or partially sighted people to employ a personal reader to assist them with work related reading. A grant of €8.65 can be made for a maximum of 640 hours per annum.

Contact your local FÁS office or Local Employment Service (LES) for further information on these supports. Alternatively consult the Disability Portal on the FÁS website at www.fas.ie

Employment & Self-Employment Supports

A number of schemes exist to support long-term unemployed people and those in receipt of other payments (One Parent Family Payment, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension etc.) to return to work.

Back to Work Allowance (BTWA)

Because of the growing numbers of people on the Live Register, and the changing profile of jobseekers generally, DSFA has decided to close this scheme to new applicants. Participants currently on the scheme will continue under the same conditions.