Your Occupational Therapist will assess your ability to perform tasks in your daily living and working environment, and identify your needs and the risk to your health if you don't get equipment or training to help you in your tasks.
They will advise whether you will require aids and adaptations to your home and help you with speech and communication challenges. For more details read Getting an Assessment.
Funding in the UK is sometimes limited and the process is not always as fast as hoped for. Try to get all the information you can from your GP, Therapist and via the internet, about what is available for you locally.
It is likely you are entitled to VAT exemption, please read more here.
Once you have had your needs assessed, funding may come from the NHS, or may have to come from Charities, Student Allowance or Access to Work schemes. You may decide to buy the equipment yourself if the wait is very long.
Helpful links:
General grants and allowances
The DirectGov website has lots of useful information including Disabled Student Allowances and Disabled Facilities Grants.
Citizens Advice have lots of detailed advice about specific benefits and funding.
Communication Aids
The Communication Trust is a campaigning voice for children with speech, language and communication needs.
The Sequal Trust aims to bridge the communication gap by supplying specialist communication equipment for disabled people of all ages across the UK.
Cognition Aids
The Baily Thomas Charitable Fund provides funding to registered charities working with children or adults with severe learning difficulties and Autism.
The Friends of the Elderly grants service provides financial help in the form of one-off grants and regular allowances for people of state retirement age.
ECS Adaptions
MNDA - if you have MND or you are a carer, there are a range of benefits, entitlements, grants and financial support you may be qualified to claim.
Aspire Grants are available to anyone living in the UK or Ireland with a spinal cord injury.
Make-A-Wish Foundation grant wishes of children and young people aged 3 to 17 living with life-threatening illnesses.
Muscular Dystrophy UK is the charity for people living with muscle-wasting conditions in the UK.
BEN benevolent funding helps the automotive and related industries provide care and support to employees and their dependants in time of need.
Turn2us help people access the money available to them – through welfare benefits, grants and other help
Living Made Easy - impartial help, advice and information about daily living equipment, disability equipment, mobility and independent living aids for all ages
