Reasonable adjustments for screen workers under the Equality Act

8 October 2026 · 6 min read

The short answer

The Equality Act 2010 requires employers to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person is placed at a substantial disadvantage. For screen workers that duty runs alongside DSE duties and usually needs a specialist assessment rather than a generic checklist.

A generic DSE self-assessment is a good screening tool and a poor specialist one. Where someone has a disability or a long-term health condition affecting screen work, a second duty applies and it is more demanding.

Two duties, running in parallel

	DSE Regulations 1992	Equality Act 2010
Applies to	All DSE users	Disabled people as defined by the Act
Standard	Assess and reduce risk	Take reasonable steps to remove a substantial disadvantage
Triggered by	Being a user	Knowledge, actual or constructive, of the disability
Typical output	Workstation changes	Individual adjustments to equipment, role or hours

The practical relationship is that the DSE assessment often identifies the issue, and the Equality Act duty determines how far you have to go in response.

What counts as a disability

Under the Act, a physical or mental impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Long-term generally means twelve months or more, or likely to be.

That covers a great deal more than people assume: chronic back conditions, arthritis, repetitive strain injuries, visual impairments, hearing loss, long Covid, ME, dyslexia, ADHD, autism, anxiety and depression can all qualify depending on effect.

What "reasonable" means in practice

Reasonableness is assessed against the size and resources of the employer, the cost, the practicality, and how effective the adjustment would be. A small business is not held to the same standard as a large corporate, but small does not mean exempt.

Most screen-work adjustments are inexpensive, which makes them harder to argue are unreasonable.

Adjustments that come up often

Equipment: Specialist chairs and seating supports, split or single-handed keyboards, alternative pointing devices, larger or higher-resolution screens.
Software: Screen readers, magnification, dictation, colour overlays, focus and reading tools.
Environment: A quieter location, a fixed desk rather than hot-desking, control over lighting.
Work pattern: More frequent breaks, adjusted hours, phased return, reduced screen-continuous tasks.
Process: Written instructions rather than verbal, more notice of changes, adjusted performance measures.

Getting specialist input

For anything beyond the obvious, get an occupational health or specialist assessment. It gives you a documented basis for the adjustments you make, and for any you conclude are not reasonable.

Access to Work can fund equipment and support for eligible employees, which frequently changes what is reasonable for a small employer to provide.

Record the conversation, not just the outcome

Note what was requested, what you considered, what you agreed, and where you declined something, why. The reasoning is what gets examined if the decision is ever challenged.

Frequently asked questions

Are employers required to provide specialist equipment for disabled employees?

Where a disabled person is placed at a substantial disadvantage, the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable steps to remove it. Most screen-work adjustments are inexpensive, which makes them difficult to argue are unreasonable.

Does a DSE assessment satisfy the Equality Act duty?

No. A DSE assessment often identifies the issue, but the Equality Act duty is individual and usually needs specialist or occupational health input.

Can Access to Work help?

Yes. It can fund equipment and support for eligible employees, which often changes what is reasonable for a smaller employer to provide.

Equality Actadjustmentsdisabilityoccupational health

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