News item | 21-11-2023 | 5:50 PM
From January 1, 2024, people with a visual impairment who fall under the Participation Act can contact UWV for special aids and work facilities, such as a reading aid. Municipalities currently offer this help, but they often lack the specialist knowledge for this. The Senate has agreed to Minister Schouten’s bill (Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions) that regulates this.
Minister Schouten: “We make it easier for people with a visual impairment to request and keep aids for work. This way they can participate fully and fully utilize their talents in the workplace.”
2 in 3 people with a visual impairment currently have no paid work. It is expected that the transfer of tasks to UWV will make it easier for them to receive support and thus gain a better position on the labor market.
UWV has a lot of expertise and experience in assessing and providing necessary technical facilities for people with a visual impairment. This concerns, for example, tools and work facilities such as a Braille display, a reading aid or adjustments to the software. But it can also concern a transport facility to the workplace.
People with a visual impairment and a Participation Act benefit can submit an application for a work facility to UWV from 2024. In a similar way, UWV has also been providing interpreting services for municipalities since July 1, 2019.