Are reasonable adjustments only for physical access?
No. Reasonable adjustments can relate to communication, tools, hours, processes, environment, workload, technology or support.
AXS PASSPORT GUIDE
What Are Reasonable Adjustments?
Reasonable adjustments are changes that reduce a disabled person’s disadvantage at work. They may involve the role, tools, environment, communication, hours, processes or support arrangements.
The strongest adjustment process is not just a one-off decision. It records what has been agreed, who owns it, when it will be reviewed and how the person can ask for changes without starting again.
Remove disadvantage
The focus is the workplace barrier and what would reduce it.
Record the agreement
Support is easier to trust when ownership, review dates and next steps are clear.
Review over time
Adjustments may need to change when the role, health, team or tools change.
Direct answer
What reasonable adjustments mean in practice
Reasonable adjustments are practical changes that reduce a disabled worker’s substantial disadvantage at work.
They can be small or significant. What matters is whether the adjustment is connected to a real workplace barrier and whether it helps the person access, perform or stay in work more fairly.
AXS Passport helps organisations move from scattered conversations to a structured adjustment record: what helps, why it helps, who owns it and when it should be reviewed.
| Workplace barrier | Possible reasonable adjustment |
|---|---|
| Communication barriers | Written follow-up, clearer instructions, agreed communication preferences or meeting summaries. |
| Sensory or environmental barriers | Quieter spaces, lighting changes, flexible location or reduced interruption. |
| Planning or workload barriers | Prioritised tasks, adjusted deadlines, check-ins, workflow tools or assistive technology. |
| Support being lost over time | A recorded adjustment passport with ownership, review dates and change history. |
AXS-owned process
Reasonable adjustments need a system, not just good intent
Many adjustment problems are not caused by a lack of goodwill. They happen because support is agreed informally, recorded inconsistently or forgotten when a manager, role or team changes.
AXS Passport is built around the idea that reasonable adjustments should be visible, proportionate, reviewable and easier to maintain. The person should not have to keep retelling personal information every time support needs to be understood.
Practical checks
- Capture the barrier in work language.
- Record the agreed reasonable adjustment.
- Name the owner and review date.
- Update the record when the role, team or need changes.
AXS Passport
Need a clearer reasonable adjustments workflow?
AXS Passport helps people explain workplace needs once and helps organisations record, implement and review reasonable adjustments with more consistency.
Useful connected guidance
These pages give more context and connect this guide to practical support.
AXS PassportStructure reasonable adjustment requests, records, ownership and review points.Open guidanceReasonable Adjustments GuideUnderstand the legal and practical basis for reasonable adjustments.Open guidanceWorkplace supportConnect reasonable adjustments to practical workplace services.Open guidanceWorkplace Needs AssessmentsIdentify role-specific barriers, support and adjustment options.Open guidanceAccess to Work resourcesUnderstand possible funding and support routes for work-related needs.Open guidanceNeurodiversity CoachingSupport routines, confidence, communication and sustainable working patterns.Open guidance
Related insight articles
Further reading from Calling All Minds on this topic.
Two-week response deadline for adjustmentsWhy timely response systems matter for reasonable adjustment requests.Rethinking workplace adjustmentsWhy adjustment processes need to be practical, human and system-led.Maximising adjustment passportsHow adjustment passports work best inside a trusted process.
Questions people often ask
Short answers, written in plain language.
Does AXS Passport decide whether an adjustment is reasonable?
No. AXS Passport supports the workflow and record. Employers still need to consider their legal duties and the person’s circumstances.
Why record reasonable adjustments?
A clear record helps prevent support being lost, misunderstood or repeatedly renegotiated from scratch.
External references
Last checked: May 2026.