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An interview taking place across a table in a modern office

Recruiting and Interviewing Candidates With Sight or Hearing Loss

/ Employment, Professionals / By

A shortlisted candidate emails to ask whether the interview questions can be sent in advance. Another phones HR to ask who will meet them at reception, because they cannot read the signage. A third has not said anything at all, and the first the panel knows of a hearing difficulty is when the candidate keeps asking people to repeat themselves. In each case the recruiter’s next move shapes the interview, and often the first few months in the job as well.

Most recruitment processes were built around sight and hearing without anyone deciding they should be. Application portals, timed online tests, panel interviews, telephone screening and informal chat in the lift all assume both senses work as expected. This article is for HR teams, hiring managers and recruiters who want to find out what fair looks like for candidates with sight or hearing loss, and how to ask the right questions without asking the wrong ones.

An interview taking place across a table in a modern office

Your duties during recruitment

Under the Equality Act 2010, a person is disabled where they have an impairment with a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Section 39 covers employers’ dealings with job applicants, including the arrangements made for deciding to whom to offer employment, and section 39(5) states that a duty to make reasonable adjustments applies to an employer. In practice that means the duty is not something that begins on the first day in post. It can apply to the application form, the test, the interview and the building.

Section 20 sets out the duty in three parts. Where a provision, criterion or practice puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage, reasonable steps must be taken to avoid it. The same applies to physical features, and to the provision of auxiliary aids and services, which can include an interpreter or a note-taker. Where information is involved, the reasonable steps can include providing it in an accessible format. The disabled person cannot be required to pay for any of this. Whether the definition is met for a particular person depends on their circumstances, and this article is general information rather than legal advice.

Health questions before an offer

Section 60 of the Act generally stops an employer asking about an applicant’s health before offering work or, where it cannot yet offer work, before including the applicant in a pool of people to be offered work. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) guidance extends the point to written and verbal questions, including questions to referees, and to recruitment agencies acting for an employer.

The Act sets out exceptions, and several matter for sensory loss. A question may be asked where it is necessary to establish whether the applicant can take part in an assessment such as a test or interview, which in practice means asking whether they need adjustments. Questions may also be asked to establish whether an applicant can carry out a function that is intrinsic to the work, to monitor diversity, and to take positive action.

EHRC guidance says an applicant cannot bring a claim simply because an unlawful health question was asked, but an employer may be exposed if it then rejects someone, or withdraws an offer, because they are disabled or thought to be. The EHRC itself regulates compliance with the section. In short, the safest design is to ask about support needs, not about conditions. Occupational health referral and health questions belong after a job offer, and the offer can be made conditional.

Application forms and online tests

For candidates with sight loss, the first barrier is often digital. Forms that do not work with a screen reader, images of text, timed tests with a countdown that cannot be extended and CAPTCHA-style puzzles can all stop a capable candidate before a human reads a word. Sight loss charities advise providing forms in accessible formats such as large print or electronic documents, and allowing an application to be completed over the phone as a reasonable adjustment.

For candidates who are deaf or have hearing loss, the problem is usually a telephone step. A screening call, or a voicemail-based callback, can exclude someone who would perform well in the role. Offer email, text or a video call with captions as alternatives, and say so in the invitation. RNID points out that for people who use sign language, English may not be a first language, so a plain-language application and a flexible approach to written answers is fair.

Asking what would help

The simplest adjustment is a sentence in the job advert and in every interview invitation: tell us what would help you take part, and we will arrange it. Sight Advice FAQ, an information service run by sight loss organisations, notes that applicants do not have to say at this stage that they are blind or partially sighted. RNID recommends asking every candidate in advance about their accessibility needs and preferred method of communication, and describing what the interview will involve, such as a presentation or group exercise, so people can say what they need.

Acas makes the same point: if a candidate asks for an adjustment you can ask what they need, and if they do not ask you can ask whether they might need any. Ask everyone, before the test or interview, and keep it about support.

Interview formats and practical support

For candidates with sight loss, sight advice guidance suggests asking each shortlisted person what they need, not assuming. Not all blind people read braille, and not all partially sighted people prefer bright light. Reasonable steps might include sending papers in the candidate’s preferred format ahead of time, giving extra time on written components, checking the lighting and where the candidate sits relative to a window, keeping the room clear of obstacles, and offering to guide them from reception. Invite candidates to explain how they would carry out tasks.

For candidates who are deaf or have hearing loss, RNID advises sharing interview questions in writing before the interview or as it starts, choosing a quiet, well-lit room, facing the candidate with no bright light behind you, and allowing extra time where communication support is used. For remote interviews, ask whether captions or transcription are needed and check that you can switch them on. When an interpreter is present, speak to the candidate and not to the interpreter. RNID advises using registered communication professionals and booking early, because demand is high.

Guide and assistance dogs

Candidates may arrive with a guide dog, and later start work with one. Assistance Dogs UK guidance for employers points out that there is no official UK register or certificate for assistance dogs, that dogs are not legally required to wear a jacket or harness, and that refusing access because other staff fear dogs, or because someone might be allergic, is unlikely to be justifiable. It advises making space for the dog, arranging access to an outside spending area and discussing any concerns with the person directly. At interview stage, it is usually enough to confirm that the dog is welcome and ask whether anything else would help, such as a quiet space.

Travel and building access

A candidate’s day can fail before the interview starts. An unfamiliar building, an entrance that is hard to find and a reception desk that expects visitors to read a sign-in screen can all take away confidence. Send clear directions, say which entrance to use and who will meet them. For deaf candidates, it is sensible to check how visitors are called, how doors are answered and how an evacuation would be communicated, so that none of it relies on sound alone.

No-cost and low-cost recruitment adjustments

Area Suggested adjustment Why it helps
Advert and invitation Add a line inviting candidates to say what would help them take part Lets people ask without having to disclose a diagnosis
Application form Offer accessible electronic or large print formats, or completion by phone Removes a barrier before the candidate has been assessed on skills
Online tests Allow extra time and check compatibility with screen readers and magnification Tests measure the skill, not the speed of navigating the screen
Contact method Offer email, text or captioned video as alternatives to telephone Avoids excluding a candidate at the first call
Interview questions Share questions in writing, in the candidate’s preferred format Reduces missed words and gives equal preparation time
Communication support Book registered interpreters, speech-to-text reporters or note-takers early Supports full participation and demand for these professionals is high
Room and layout Quiet, well-lit room, clear floor, face the candidate with light on your face Helps lipreading, hearing in noise and safe movement
Arrival and building Meet the candidate at reception, describe the route and offer to guide Builds confidence and avoids tension on arrival
Assistance dogs Confirm the dog is welcome and arrange a quiet space and water Removes uncertainty before the day

What this means for occupational health, HR and case managers

Make sure recruiters, agencies and panel members know the section 60 position, so the question on a form or in a corridor is about support and not about the condition. EHRC guidance advises removing general health and disability questions from application materials, separating monitoring data from selection decisions, and training staff and agencies.

Decide who owns requests for adjustments and how quickly they will be answered. If a candidate is made an offer, occupational health and HR can then take over with a proper conversation about the role. It is worth recognising that what worked at interview, such as written questions, extra time or a quiet room, is evidence of what may help in the job. Adjustments made for recruitment often become the first adjustments in post.

Once the person has started, a visual impairment workplace assessment or a hearing loss workplace assessment can formalise those early arrangements by looking at the actual tasks, environment and technology. It is specialist and practical, and sits alongside occupational health, audiology and rehabilitation services, never in place of them.

Hints and tips for the individual

  • Look for a line in the advert about adjustments, and use it to say what would help without needing to describe your condition.

  • Tell the employer early about what you need for the interview, such as questions in writing, a particular format or a communication professional.

  • If you need an interpreter or other communication support, ask about Access to Work as soon as you have an interview date, because it must be applied for before the interview.

  • Ask who will meet you and how to find the entrance.

  • Afterwards, make a note of what helped, because it is a good starting point for your first week in post.

Access to Work and Disability Confident

GOV.UK states that Access to Work can help pay for communication support at a job interview, for example a British Sign Language interpreter or lipspeaker for someone who is deaf or hard of hearing. The separate GOV.UK interview guidance says the support is for a paid job or apprenticeship, that the interview must not have taken place yet, and that applicants must live in England, Scotland or Wales with the interview in one of those countries. It lists communication support workers such as note-takers, interpreters and lipspeakers, and says the application must be made before the interview. Access to Work does not pay for changes the employer must legally make as reasonable adjustments, and the main GOV.UK guide says Northern Ireland has a different system. The interview guidance is a PDF with no obvious date, so check the current rules before you tell a candidate what is available.

Disability Confident is the government’s voluntary scheme, with three levels: Committed, Employer and Leader. At Level 1, an employer commits to offering an interview to a disabled applicant who meets the minimum criteria for the job, though GOV.UK is clear that this does not mean every disabled applicant is entitled to one, and it allows limits in high-volume recruitment where this is explained. EHRC guidance lists asking applicants to identify themselves for a guaranteed interview scheme as a permitted use of a disability question. GOV.UK shows the scheme still operating, with guidance last updated in July 2026. Reforms were announced in January 2026 and described in press coverage as planned, so check GOV.UK for the position that applies when you sign up or renew.

Summary

A fair recruitment process for candidates with sight or hearing loss is mostly a set of small, early decisions: an invitation to say what would help, a form and test that work with the tools people use, questions in writing, a quiet room, a clear route into the building and a booked interpreter if one is needed. None of it needs a health question. Record what worked, share it (with the candidate’s agreement) with the line manager, and treat it as the starting point for the first weeks in the job.

Watch the short film

This short film follows a new starter with sight loss on their first day. The desk, laptop, login and welcome pack are all ready, but nobody has asked what they need, so the text is tiny, the pack is on paper and the login code cannot be read. Once someone asks what would help, a bigger screen, a readable pack and a usable code sort day one. It is a reminder to ask before the first day, not after the first week. The film lasts under a minute.

Frequently Asked Questions

Section 60 of the Equality Act 2010 generally prevents health questions before an offer, with exceptions that include establishing whether adjustments are needed for the recruitment process. The safest approach is to ask what support would help, not what the condition is. Whether a particular question is covered depends on the circumstances.

Access to Work can fund communication support at interview for eligible candidates, but the application must be made before the interview. Employers may still have duties of their own, and GOV.UK says Access to Work does not pay for changes the employer must legally make. Check the current rules at GOV.UK.

Sight Advice FAQ guidance says adjustments are expected once a candidate has disclosed a need, and Acas notes that you can ask a candidate whether they might need any adjustments if they have not asked. Whether the duty applies in a particular case depends on the circumstances.

Ask what would help and talk it through. Candidates often know exactly what works for them. If the request is unclear or you are unsure what is reasonable, take advice from HR, occupational health or a specialist before the interview and not on the day.

If you or someone in your team is deaf, has hearing loss or is visually impaired and would like expert, tailored support to stay productive and comfortable at work, you can arrange a workplace assessment with us.

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