Needs Assessment Process for Disabled Staff Members

The process for accessing support at Trinity is designed to be clear, supportive, and confidential. Its purpose is to make sure that any staff member who needs reasonable accommodations can have the right supports put in place through a structured and fair approach. This is the University’s recognised process for agreeing reasonable accommodations, and using it ensures appropriate measures are identified and implemented.

The process may begin in different ways. Some staff choose to meet informally with the Disability Service to talk through disability disclosure options or to explore what supports might be available. Others start by speaking with their line manager if a disability or health‑related issue is affecting their work. Either route is absolutely fine as the process adapts to the staff member’s needs.

Next, the staff member arranges a meeting with the Disability Service and registers with the Service. Before the Needs Assessment takes place, the staff member is asked to sign the Disability Service Consent to Disclose and Share Disability Information. This consent allows the Disability Service to share only the minimum information necessary to help implement accommodations. If a staff member chooses not to sign, the formal reasonable accommodation process cannot continue; however, the Disability Service will still offer internal support where possible.

The Needs Assessment is a collaborative conversation between the staff member and the Disability Officer. If questions arise about the scope or feasibility of certain accommodations, the Director of the Disability Service may become involved, and in some cases, senior management or subject‑matter experts may be consulted. Every effort is made to identify effective and suitable accommodations.

Once the assessment is complete, the Staff Disability Liaison Officer prepares a Reasonable Accommodation Recommendation Report and shares it with the staff member for approval. When the staff member approves the report, it is forwarded to the line manager. The agreed accommodations are then signed off and shared with the relevant people who will help put them into place. At this stage, any internal partners who may need to be involved — such as HR, Estates & Facilities, or IT Services — are contacted, and the necessary administrative arrangements are completed.

After this, the agreed reasonable accommodations are implemented. The support process does not end here; the report is reviewed annually or whenever circumstances change, ensuring that accommodations continue to meet the staff member’s needs over time.

Note: Throughout the code 'manager' or 'line manager' is used to refer to the employee's line-manager - be they Head of School/Department/Area, Manager, Supervisor, etc.

Employee/Staff member is used to refer to all categories of Trinity staff (academic, administrative, support, etc.)