Maximum
Up to €12,500 a year
Personal Reader is one of seven Work and Access supports run by the Department of Social Protection. It is for employees and self-employed people in the private, community and voluntary, not-for-profit or commercial semi-state sectors. Public sector employers are expected to cover the cost themselves.
Quick facts
- Maximum
- Up to €12,500 a year
- Hourly rate
- The current minimum wage
- Who applies
- The employee or self-employed person, or their advocate
- Form
- WA1
- Paid to
- The reader or the business supplying them
How much
"Work and Access will pay up to €12,500 per year towards the cost of a personal reader." "The grant pays an hourly rate equal to the current minimum wage ." If the reader needs technical qualifications, the Department sets the hourly rate case by case.
Who can get it — the full rules
"A personal reader is a person who helps a blind or visually impaired employee with work-related reading." The reader does not need a professional qualification.
"Only an employee, self-employed person or their advocate or representative can apply." You must meet the general Work and Access rules and show evidence of your condition, unless you already get a long-term disability payment. College students should talk to their college's Disability Liaison Officer instead.
How to apply
Get the WA1 form from your local Intreo office or gov.ie. Send it by email to workandaccess@welfare.ie, hand it in at Intreo, or post it to the Employment Services Management Support Team, Department of Social Protection, PO Box 13736, Co Louth.
An officer contacts you about the application. "Final approval is required before purchasing any support." Once approved, you send a claim form at the end of each month, and "The funding is paid directly to the service provider employed or contracted to act as a personal reader."
There is no formal appeal. You can ask for a review by a different officer, in writing, within 21 days of the decision.
Common questions
How much is the Personal Reader Grant?
Up to €12,500 a year, paid at an hourly rate equal to the minimum wage.
Who can apply for a Personal Reader Grant?
An employee or self-employed person who is blind or has a visual impairment and needs help with reading at work, or their advocate. It does not cover public sector jobs.
Do I have to find the reader myself?
Yes. You find and hire or contract the reader, and the grant is paid directly to them.