What does it mean?

Under the Equality Act (2010), services must make ‘reasonable adjustments’ for autistic people and people with learning disabilities.

Reasonable adjustments mean making changes to services and the way we work with individuals so that this is accessible.

Checklist

• Establish if this is a method of communication the individual prefers, and what this looks like.
• What day and time of day would the individual prefer to meet?
• Individual to be offered the opportunity to agree a set frequency of Microsoft Team Meetings from professionals, for example weekly or fortnightly.
• Individual to be asked if they would like reminders of upcoming phone calls or Microsoft Team meetings, and if so, how would they like to be reminded.
• Individual to be asked if they would like to set how long appointment should last for e.g. 15 minutes.
• To agree with individual how much advance notice they require to attend a meeting / appointment.
• Once you have sent the MS teams invite, follow up with the individual via their preferred method of communication to notify them. Some individuals may find it helpful if you email the joining link to them closer to the meeting, so they don’t have to go through their calendars.
•  To explore with the individual whether they would like professionals to have their cameras turned on or not. Consider supporting the individual to use the ‘raise my hand’ function on teams.
• To establish who will be at the meeting, and what their role is. The individual may find it difficult to meet with more than one person, or when given no notice of e.g. a student. If possible, any attendees should be introduced via a one page profile in advance of the meeting.
• Individual should be provided with an agenda of what the call will entail, to be provided with questions you are likely going to ask in advance, this will give them time to prepare. Individual to be asked how soon in advance they would like the agenda.
• If the professional is running late, individual should be notified via their preferred method of communication. If possible, indicate how late you are going to be.
• Establish whether the individual wants the meeting to start at the start time, or if they prefer to join the link early and not wait in the lobby.
• Meeting to go ahead on an agreed day and time. Don’t expect eye contact from the individual.
• Be mindful of your background (avoid bright/distracting backgrounds or added background effects).
• Be mindful of where you take this meeting e.g. avoid shared office spaces, where there may be lots of background noise.
• If the meeting starts late, to give the individual the opportunity to finish at the agreed time, or to take the agreed duration of the call.
• After phone calls, individual should be sent a follow up of what was discussed and the outcomes, via their preferred method of communication.

About this leaflet

Developed by Robyn Darby (RNLD) and Simon Tarrant (RNLD). Updated January 2022.