Microsoft is partnering with the UK Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help job seekers with disabilities get support and guidance when looking for employment.

The technology company will train 26,000 DWP work coaches in accessibility fundamentals and how to use Microsoft tools such as immersive reader, magnifier and automated captions, which will enable coaches to create accessible experiences for job seekers and show them how they can use those free tools at home to get support with the use of technology in the recruitment process and the increasingly digital workplace.

The Accessibility Fundamentals training will be offered to DWP work coaches from May.

Through their partnership, Microsoft and SeeAbility will invest in training programs for carers to build their digital skills, so they can help people with disabilities rebuild and strengthen social connections following lockdown.

Many people with disabilities have been shielding throughout the Coronavirus pandemic as they have underlying health conditions.

According to research by the Office for National Statistics in May 2020, nearly two-thirds (62.4%) of people with disabilities said COVID-19-related concerns were affecting their well-being, compared with less than half (49.6%) of adults without a disability.

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Nikoleta Yanakieva Editor at DevStyleR International