Supporting disabled job applicants guide

A support guide for external candidates with disabilities through the recruitment and selection process at Kingston University.

Applying for a job at the University
Equality information requested at application
Access around campus
Requesting reasonable adjustments for interviews
Access to Work interview support
Post-offer work health assessment
Applying to Access to Work on receipt of your start date
Equality monitoring
Data protection and confidentiality
Contact details

1. Applying for a job at the University

All our roles are advertised electronically via our recruitment system. This system has been classified as accessible. However, when applying, if you require a job pack in an alternative format you can contact the HR Shared Services Team on 020 8417 3118 or email HR@kingston.ac.uk, quoting the job reference number.

Depending on the requirements of our hiring managers, as an applicant you will be asked to complete an online application form, which will ask you a series of questions including the following:

Personal details (name, address, contact details)
Employment history
Education history
Equality and diversity data – please note this information is not visible to our hiring managers.

In addition to the above, you may be asked to complete a supporting statement and provide any supplementary documentation for your preferred role.

2. Equality information requested at application

At application stage, you are asked to complete our Equality Monitoring Form (section 8b: 'Telling us about your disability: equality monitoring'). This information tells us if we are doing enough to attract candidates who have protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. We can take positive action to do so if we are not. The equality monitoring information is anonymous and separate to your application. It will not be seen by those involved in the shortlisting process.

3. Access around campus

The University makes every effort to ensure it is accessible at all times to staff, students and visitors. If you have concerns about accessibility, please contact the HR Shared Services Team on 020 8417 3118, or email hr@kingston.ac.uk, quoting the job reference number.

AccessAble is an organisation that produces thorough online access guides for a huge range of venues across the UK. The AccessAble logo is available on many of the University's campuses and other web pages. Clicking on it will take you to detailed information about our campus buildings and facilities, such as the number of stairs, or where accessible toilets may be found.

4. Requesting reasonable adjustments for interviews

Kingston University is committed to ensuring our recruitment process is barrier-free and as inclusive as possible to everyone. In line with our values (inclusive, innovative, ambitious, enterprising), we are committed to making adjustments for people who have a disability or long-term condition.

We welcome knowing about any adjustments you might need at the earliest opportunity so we can work with you to try to make sure we can accommodate any requests during this process. Adjustments will be made on a case-by-case basis and designed to remove barriers or difficulties that you might face during the recruitment process. Some examples of reasonable adjustments could include:

Providing the interview questions in advance of the interview
Allowing extra time during the interview
Holding the interview in an accessible room
Holding the interview online over virtual meeting software if you cannot travel to the University
Providing a British Sign Language interpreter or other communication support
Providing the questions on paper or written in the meeting chat box.

5. Access to Work interview support

If you require a British Sign Language interpreter or a communicator for your interview, you will need to:

Contact Access to Work (see contact details) who will usually agree to provide funding over the phone.
Contact HR. If you have a contact for an interpreter or communicator, then please advise HR. If you do not have a contact, HR can help you find a BSL interpreter or communicator to support you during the interview.

Both BSL interpreters and communicators will be fully funded by Access to Work and paid for, in the first instance, by the University's central fund.

The Equality Act 2010 defines protected characteristics as: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

6. Post-offer work health assessment

Following a successful job offer, all candidates are required to complete a work health assessment form, which will be returned directly to Occupational Health. Your completed form is not seen by anyone outside Occupational Health. If necessary, Occupational Health will seek your consent to obtain further relevant medical information. If adjustments are recommended or advised, Occupational Health will seek your consent to inform HR, your line manager and anyone else who may be able to assist in providing those adjustments.

7. Applying to Access to Work on receipt of your start date

If you require adjustments to your workstation or the way your work is organised and you have a start date, Occupational Health may advise you to contact Access to Work. Access to Work can appoint a specialist to carry out an assessment of your workplace and make recommendations based on the latest equipment and adaptations available. If an application is made within six weeks of your start date, approved funding required for reasonable adjustments will usually be paid in full by Access to Work.

Once you have a start date, however far away it is, you can begin working with the University to make sure adjustments are in place for you when you start. Access to Work will ask for the name of your line manager which HR can provide for you if you do not already know it.

The University is committed to ensuring all employees can thrive and achieve their potential. If you are, or think you might be disabled, or you know that you have a condition which will affect you at work, then the University will work with you to make sure that appropriate reasonable adjustments are put in place and you have everything you need to thrive in your role. If, when you were at school, college or university arrangements were made to assist your learning or you were in receipt of Disabled Students Allowance, then it may be that similar arrangements will be required for you at work.

8. Equality monitoring

Both job applicants and current staff members can help the University to monitor equality in the workplace by providing us with information that will remain confidential. We use this information for monitoring purposes only; it is not revealed to your line manager or colleagues. This information can tell us if we are doing enough to attract candidates who have protected characteristics and can help determine how resources are allocated.

HR, alongside line managers are expected to do all they reasonably can understand if a colleague requires any reasonable adjustments in the workplace. What is reasonable will depend on individual circumstances. HR and hiring managers will ask all applicants if they need any adjustments or support at each stage of the recruitment process.

9. Data protection and confidentiality

Any information that candidates provide to Kingston University relating to their disability is classed as special category data under the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation. Special category data provided to or collected by Kingston University will be processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. We treat this data as confidential and will only be accessed by Kingston University staff with a legitimate reason for doing so in the course of their duties.