The role of the workplace PA

This section of the course explores the role of the workplace PA – someone who supports their disabled employer at work.

The role of the workplace PA can be different to that of a home-based PA, although there are some similarities, and some people employ the same person to do both roles.

This week of the course is based on a piece of research which focused specifically on the role of the workplace PA in supporting people with physical or sensory impairments in their workplaces. This research was funded by the School for Social Care Research, and was a collaboration between the University of York and Sheffield Hallam University.

The project involved disabled people who use a PA in the workplace, PAs who support their employer at work and line managers in organisations with experience of working with employees who use a PA at work. This section shares their experiences, what has worked well, not so well and the conversations they have identified as being important in order to develop positive and accessible workplace environments. It is hoped that these will be helpful to you if you are considering employing a workplace PA, being a workplace PA or working in an organisation seeking to ensure that you are accessible to disabled people and now and in the future.