DeafATW - to help you complain and campaign for a better AtW

AtW is a fantastic resource, with the potential to make work truly accessible to Deaf, Deafblind, deafened and HoH people.  It may not have been perfect, but for many years it has done that, offering access to work and promotion opportunities by paying for face to face and remote interpreting*, communicator guides (for Deafblind people), note taking support, Speech to Text, and Lipspeaking.  

But now many Deaf* people have stories about the difficulties they have had with AtW.  

Many of those difficulties have been made worse because AtW does not always give the information needed to be able to challenge them.  

For example, AtW may tell you that as AtW is not a statutory benefit "there is no right of appeal against decisions".  Many Deaf people think this means they can't complain, which isn't true.  Deaf AtW users do have the right to complain, even though there is no appeal process.

This website has information to help you challenge AtW to meet your needs.  For example, an explanation of the complaints process, sample reconsideration and complaint letters, and information about the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).

Also, if you want to know more about AtW's own Guidance, and what it says about booking two interpreters for meetings, paying for cancellations, travel costs, etc., then click the AtW’s Own Guidance tab.

There is also information to help you campaign to make AtW better. 

As well as the 6 main pages, there is a lot of information you can find using the left Tabs.  So remember to check these too.

This is a site for you to share and get information and documents.  

We are not able to give individual advice.

(*In this website 'Deaf' will refer to Deaf, Deafblind, deafened and HoH people, and 'Interpreting' will refer to all the communication professionals worked with, including BSL/English Interpreters, Deafblind Interpreters and Communicator-Guides, Speech to Text Reporters, Lipspeakers, and Note takers).

DeafATW - to help you complain and campaign for a better AtW - BSL

Information in English and BSL

Most of the information on DeafATW's main pages is available in both BSL and English.  Most of the filming is still being edited, so will be added as soon as it is ready.

However documents to download (e.g. AtW's own Guidance), Updates, and newly posted information, are mainly just in English.  

If you need documents translated in BSL, please ask interpreters if they can do this with you.  

If you have any problems accessing information on here please contact DeafATW.

Information in English and BSL - BSL