From 9 March 2026, AtW will still send you emails, but they will come from a central mailbox that does not accept replies. If you need to contact or share information with AtW, you will now have to phone, use VRS, or write by post. You will not be able to email them. AtW has said this change is to match wider DWP policy, which does not allow customers to reply to emails.
What you can do
AtW has confirmed that if you need email communication as a Reasonable Adjustment, you have the right to ask for it. DWP's own Email Policy says AtW must provide email as a Reasonable Adjustment when you ask, if your reason relates to your disability. If AtW confirm your reason is disability-related, they will give you a specific email address to use for all your AtW communications, including applications, renewals, reconsideration requests, change of circumstances requests, formal complaints, finance, etc.
Once AtW agrees, they must record your Reasonable Adjustment. You should not need to ask again each time you need to communicate with AtW.
To ask for this, you will need to phone the AtW helpline (if a BSL user through VRS or your interpreter) or post your request to: Access to Work, Operational Support Unit, Harrow Jobcentre Plus, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 1JE.
Under DWP's own guidance, AtW must proactively consider whether customers need Reasonable Adjustments. When they took away email replies, they should have checked this with AtW customers first, but they didn't.
Please share this info with anyone you know using AtW, so that if they need it they can ask for email as a Reasonable Adjustment too.
Please tell us what happens
If you ask for email as a Reasonable Adjustment, please let DeafATW know what response you get. Does AtW agree? Do they give you the email address? Does it actually work for all your communications? We need to know how this is working in practice.
Why this matters
Unlike other DWP services such as Universal Credit, AtW does not have a secure online portal where you can communicate directly with your Case Manager. UC claimants have a journal they can use at any time. AtW customers have nothing equivalent.
This means removing the ability to reply by email leaves only phone and post. For deaf BSL users, phone communication requires VRS and is not always practical, particularly for detailed or complex discussions about your award. Post is slow and introduces further delays.
AtW requires far more communication between customers and Case Managers than services like UC or PIP. Decisions about your award depend on detailed conversations about your work, your access needs, and the support you require. Removing the most accessible written communication channel, without providing a secure alternative, will make this harder and slower for everyone.
What DeafATW is doing
DeafATW has raised these concerns with the Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Social Security and Disability, and with AtW's policy and operations leads. We have asked for all customers to be proactively told that they can request email as a Reasonable Adjustment. We have also asked that email communication with recorded consent should be available to all customers until an accessible secure messaging alternative exists.
We will keep you updated.
Background
These FOI documents give more detail on DWP's obligations and the background to this change.