Barriers removed, support made clearer
What Are Reasonable Adjustments?
Reasonable adjustments are practical changes that remove or reduce barriers for disabled people. In workplaces, they can involve communication, working patterns, technology, management support, recruitment, environment or equipment.
Start with the barrier
Not just:
What condition does this person have?
Better:
What barrier are they facing, and what would reduce it?
Start with the barrier
Not just:
What condition does this person have?
Better:
What barrier are they facing, and what would reduce it?
What the term means
A reasonable adjustment is a practical change that helps remove or reduce disadvantage.
The term is often used in relation to disability rights and the Equality Act 2010. In everyday workplace practice, it means looking at the barrier a person faces and identifying what change would make access, participation or work more equitable.
That could mean changing a process, providing a tool, adjusting how information is shared, changing a working pattern or making the environment easier to use.
The strongest adjustment conversations are not built around assumptions. They start with the person's actual experience of the barrier.
What makes an adjustment reasonable?
Reasonable does not mean small, cheap or optional. It means the adjustment should be considered in context.
The same adjustment might be straightforward in one organisation and harder in another. The same person might need different support in different roles. The same condition might create different barriers depending on workload, environment, communication style or technology.
A good decision should consider the barrier, the likely benefit, the practicality of the change, the organisation's resources and whether the support can be implemented safely and fairly.
Poor record-keeping makes this harder. If requests, decisions and review points are scattered across emails or manager notes, it becomes difficult to show what was considered, what was agreed and whether support was followed through.
The practical test
Is there a barrier?
Does the current process, environment or equipment create a disadvantage?
Is the change practical?
Can the adjustment be implemented effectively in this role or setting?
Is it effective?
Will the change actually remove or reduce the barrier identified?
Is it sustainable?
Can the support be maintained and reviewed over time?
Common types of reasonable adjustments
Adjustments are rarely one-size-fits-all. They fall into several practical categories.
Procedural
Changes to how work is done, such as flexible hours, different meeting formats or adjusted recruitment processes.
Environmental
Changes to the physical workspace, such as quiet zones, adjusted lighting, fixed desks or ergonomic equipment.
Technological
Providing assistive software, hardware, noise-cancelling headphones or different communication tools.
Communication
Changing how information is shared, such as written instructions, advance agendas or captions in meetings.
Support-based
Providing additional management check-ins, mentoring, job coaching or awareness training for teams.
Structural
Adjusting job descriptions, targets or task priorities to better suit a person's strengths and access needs.
Why adjustments often fail
Even when organisations want to support people, the process often breaks down due to systemic barriers.
Disclosure fatigue
People have to explain their needs repeatedly to different managers or departments.
Implementation gap
Adjustments are agreed but never actually put in place due to lack of ownership.
The memory barrier
Support is forgotten when a manager changes or a new project starts.
Lack of review
Adjustments are set once and never checked to see if they are still working.
Managing adjustments with AXS Passport
AXS Passport helps organisations move from informal conversations to a structured, respectful and effective adjustment process.
Access profiles
People can describe their barriers and support needs in a guided, structured way.
Request tracking
Review and manage adjustment requests with clear visibility of status.
Assigned ownership
Assign implementation tasks to ensure support is actually delivered.
Automated review
Set review points to ensure adjustments remain effective over time.
Make reasonable adjustments clearer
AXS Passport helps organisations manage access needs, reasonable adjustment requests, records and review in one clearer process.