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Screen Readers and Magnification at Work: What Employers Need to Know

/ Eyesight at work, Professionals / By

An employee with a visual impairment is given the right assistive technology, trained to use it, and then asked to complete an expenses claim in a form that the technology cannot read. The employee is not the problem. The tool is not the problem. The form is. It is a common way for computer access to go wrong at work, and it is usually fixable once somebody knows where to look.

Screen readers and magnifiers can feel like a specialist area best left to IT. In practice the decisions that matter are made well beyond the individual’s desk: which HR system is bought, how documents are produced, whether an update is tested before rollout. This article explains what the technology does, where employers tend to trip up, and what the law and funding say.

A keyboard and mouse on a tidy desk

About screen readers and screen magnifiers

A screen reader is software that reads out what is on a computer, tablet or phone as synthetic speech. It can also send the same information to a refreshable braille display, so that a user receives speech and braille at the same time. Instead of pointing and clicking, the user moves around with keyboard commands or touchscreen gestures. RNIB notes that the basic commands can be learned quickly, but that becoming a proficient user takes time and practice.

A screen magnifier enlarges part of the screen, and usually lets the user change colours and contrast and alter how the mouse pointer and text cursor look. RNIB also notes that magnification software can add some speech output, which is useful for reading long documents. Some people with useful vision combine the two, magnifying for short tasks and listening for long ones.

Both types of tool are available as built-in features of the operating system and as separate, more fully featured software. RNIB’s guidance is that the built-in options work straight away, but that dedicated software is recommended for more complex tasks and that built-in features may not give the best performance in corporate environments. The right answer depends on the person, their sight, their role and the systems they use.

How inaccessible systems affect work

Assistive technology can only work with what it is given. GOV.UK’s guidance for public sector bodies lists the common failures: PDF forms that cannot be read out by a screen reader, systems that cannot be used from a keyboard, and poor colour contrast. RNIB makes a similar point from the employee’s side, saying that some computer systems are so badly designed that screen reader software cannot read the content at all. Where that happens, people may have to rely on a colleague or support worker to complete tasks. That can be a legitimate solution, but it costs independence, privacy and time, and should be a considered choice rather than a default.

Documents are the quickest place to make a difference. GOV.UK advises publishing in HTML wherever possible because PDF documents often do not work well with assistive technology, and adds that PDF is never fully accessible to every type of assistive technology. Where word-processed or PDF documents cannot be avoided, its guidance is to use proper heading styles rather than bold text, mark up table headers, write meaningful link text, avoid text inside images and run the built-in accessibility checker.

Then there is the learning curve. A person new to a screen reader, or moving from magnification to speech as their sight changes, will be slower at first. That is normal. Plan for it as you would for any new system: protected time, realistic expectations for the first few weeks, and training on the software and systems the person will actually use at work.

Updates are a further risk. A change to the operating system, a browser or an in-house application can alter how assistive technology behaves, and a system that worked on Friday may not on Monday. There is no authoritative UK data on how often this happens, so it is best treated as a risk to manage rather than a statistic. The practical answer is to include assistive technology users in pre-rollout testing and to know who to call when something stops working.

No-cost and low-cost workplace adjustments

Area Suggested adjustment Why it helps
Documents Use heading styles, table headers and meaningful link text, and run the accessibility checker before circulating Lets a screen reader user move by heading and table
Forms Offer an accessible online form, with an agreed alternative if it fails Avoids reliance on a colleague for routine paperwork
HR, finance and expenses systems Ask suppliers about testing with assistive technology, and test with the user before go-live Finds barriers before they stop someone working
Updates Include assistive technology users in testing and give early notice of changes Reduces the risk of an update stopping work
Training Allow protected time to learn the software on the systems actually used Speeds up the move to productive use
Display settings Let the person set text size, contrast, pointer and colours, kept across devices Saves effort on every task and reduces eye strain
Remote and hybrid working Cover and configure the home and office set-ups in the same way Avoids being productive on one site and held up on the other
Meetings Send papers in an accessible format beforehand and describe on-screen content aloud Allows full participation

What this means for occupational health, HR and case managers

When you refer someone, ask whether the barrier is the person’s equipment, their training or the system they are being asked to use. These are often confused, and a report that recommends more software for a problem caused by an inaccessible form will not solve anything. A good report says which task is blocked, why, what would remove the block, who needs to act, and what the fall-back is meanwhile.

IT and procurement need to be involved early. GOV.UK’s service manual expects public sector digital services to meet WCAG 2.2 level AA, to work with common assistive technologies, to be tested with disabled users, and to have an accessibility audit before the service goes into public beta. That is written for government services, but it is a reasonable benchmark for any employer buying or building an internal system. Asking a supplier for its accessibility statement and evidence of testing with assistive technology is a normal question to ask before signing.

Display screen equipment duties also apply. HSE says employers must assess the workstations of people who use display screen equipment daily for an hour or more, and that the assessment should consider any special requirements of the user, including a user with a disability. It must be repeated when a new workstation is set up, a new user starts, or a change is made. Employers must also provide training and, on request, an eye test at the employer’s cost. HSE says the regulations can apply to long-term home workers and to hybrid workers, and that workers cannot be charged for equipment an assessment shows is needed.

Where a role involves daily screen work and a person uses assistive technology, a specialist visual impairment workplace assessment can sit alongside the standard DSE check and occupational health advice. It looks at the functional barriers across the systems, documents and environment the person uses, and gives the employer practical recommendations. It does not replace occupational health, rehabilitation or the DSE assessment.

Hints and tips for the individual

  • Tell your employer which systems and documents you use most, so the first checks are on the things that matter to your job.

  • Keep a short record of tasks that fail, with the date and system, so that IT or a supplier has something specific to fix.

  • Ask to be included when updates or new systems are tested, and ask for early warning of changes.

  • Set up your text size, contrast and speech preferences on every device you use, and ask for the same set-up at home and in the office.

  • Ask whether your Access to Work application can cover equipment, software and support for your home working set-up as well as the office.

  • Agree in advance who to contact, and what the interim arrangement is, when something stops working.

Building awareness and communication

Most accessibility problems are created by people who did not know the consequences. A manager who sends a scanned image of a document, a finance team that changes a template, a colleague who shares a screen without describing it: none of these is acting in bad faith. Short, practical awareness training for the people who create documents, buy systems and run meetings does more than policy alone, and the Access to Work factsheet lists disability awareness training for colleagues among the things a grant can pay for. Small habits help too: share papers before meetings, say what is on the screen, and check that a new template works with the person’s technology before it goes to everyone.

Legal rights and support

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. Where that definition is met, the employer must make reasonable adjustments. Section 20 covers provisions, criteria or practices, physical features and auxiliary aids. Where the duty relates to information, the steps an employer may need to take include providing it in an accessible format, and the employer cannot require the disabled person to pay the cost of complying.

The duty for employers applies where they know, or could reasonably be expected to know, that a person is disabled and likely to be placed at a disadvantage. Acas adds that adjustments are due when an employee asks, and when a disabled person is having difficulty with any part of their job. This is different from the anticipatory duty, which applies to service providers and is owed to disabled people generally. For employers the duty is owed to particular applicants and employees. In practice, an employer that has built accessibility into its documents and systems will find the individual duty much easier to meet.

Digital accessibility standards are a separate matter. WCAG 2.2 is a W3C standard with three levels of conformance (A, AA and AAA) and is designed to be used in procurement and contracts as well as design. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 require public sector bodies to meet WCAG 2.2 AA and publish an accessibility statement. GOV.UK says they cover intranets and extranets (older ones need to be made accessible when updated) but not mobile apps for defined groups such as employees. Many charities are exempt unless mostly publicly funded or providing essential services. Private employers are not covered, but the Equality Act still applies, and WCAG remains a useful yardstick.

Access to Work can pay a grant for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other things, and GOV.UK says the workplace can include the home. The grant does not need to be repaid, and employers may need to pay some costs up front and claim them back. Two cautions apply. GOV.UK states that Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments the employer must legally make, and the published guidance does not draw that line precisely, so do not delay a clear adjustment while waiting for a grant. Also, it covers Great Britain only, with a separate service in Northern Ireland, and civil servants are supported by their own department. GOV.UK does not make clear whether a grant routinely covers training in using the software, so check this with Access to Work when the application is made.

Whether the definition is met for a particular person depends on their circumstances, and this article is general information rather than legal advice.

Summary

Screen readers and magnifiers are effective tools, but they depend on the quality of the systems and documents they are pointed at. Find out which tasks are blocked, fix the documents and forms that cause the most trouble, test updates with assistive technology users, build accessibility into procurement, and keep the DSE assessment and Access to Work application joined up. None of this needs a large budget. It needs someone to own it.

Watch the short film

This short film follows an employee with sight loss whose line manager says they must know what they need. They did not know what was available, so a workplace assessment looked at their job and workplace, showed options they had never heard of, and they chose what worked together with their manager. The film lasts under a minute.

Frequently Asked Questions

A screen reader reads the content of the screen aloud and can also output it to a braille display. A screen magnifier enlarges the content and lets the user change colours, contrast and pointer settings. Some people use both, and magnification software can include some speech.

They can form part of a solution, but whether they are enough depends on the person, the tasks and the systems they use. RNIB notes that built-in features may not give the best performance in corporate environments, so the question is what works for the individual in their actual job.

Not under the Public Sector Bodies accessibility regulations, which apply to public sector bodies. A private employer still has the Equality Act duty to make reasonable adjustments, and WCAG 2.2 is a useful benchmark when buying or building systems.

It can pay a grant towards specialist equipment and assistive software, and GOV.UK says the workplace can include the home if someone works there some or all of the time. Eligibility and the amount depend on the individual, so the employee should apply and check the details.

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

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