FÁS has responsibility for providing labour market services for disabled people, assisting with finding paid employment or preparing for employment through a training or employment programme.
If you are blind or visually impaired and you need assistance with job-related reading, you may be entitled to a grant to allow you to employ a Personal Reader.
FÁS will pay a fee per hour, in line with minimum wage. It will be paid up to a maximum of 640 hours per annum.
Eligibility
You can apply for a Personal Reader grant if:
- You are in employment in the private sector and need assistance with work-related reading;
- You have recently become visually impaired and are in danger of losing your job;
- You are going back to your original employer to do new or different work;
- Your prospects for promotion are being restricted because of reading difficulty due to your visual impairment.
Application
- The employee contacts their local FÁS office to obtain and complete an Application Form;
- FÁS, the employee and the employer agree the number of hours based on the amount of reading required;
- FÁS pays a grant to the employee to pay the costs of their personal reader based on a Claim Form.
The personal reader must not be replacing any reading help normally given by work colleagues, relatives or friends.
Contact FÁS
If you are a disabled person or an employer and you need further information about the Personal Reader Grant or other schemes, contact your local FÁS Office.
