Disabled adaptations
Disabled people sometimes have difficulties accessing and using the facilities in their homes. Adaptations allow adults and children with disabilities to live at home in safety and comfort.
Disabled Facilities Grant
If you are permanently and substantially disabled, we may be able to arrange a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) to help with the cost of adaptations to your home. Adaptations could be minor, such as grabrails or ramps, or major works such as stairlifts and wet rooms. We may also be able to help with organising the work.
If you have a child or young person with a disability, they are entitled to be assessed for a Disabled Facilities Grant which will not be means-tested.
Assessment
Before you can apply for a grant, an occupational therapist from Oxfordshire County Council must visit you at home to make an assessment of your needs.
If you wish to refer yourself or another adult for assessment, you can request an assessment online from Oxfordshire County Council, or contact Adult Social and Health Care.
If you wish to refer a child for assessment, contact Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust.
They will explain if they think a DFG is the right way to meet your needs and recommend the adaptations they think suitable.
We must then decide if the proposed adaptations are ‘necessary and appropriate’ and are ‘reasonable and practicable’. We may also have to carry out a test of your financial resources to see what, if any, contribution you may have to make towards the cost. Our Disabled Adaptations Policy explains how we make those decisions. If you rent your property from a housing association they may directly fund work to adapt your home. If not you can still apply for a Disabled Facilities Grant.
Download the Oxfordshire guide to home adaptations for more information on the DFG process.