If the following situation applies to you or your child, you might qualify for disability support:

  • the disability is likely to affect your ability to do your work for at least 12 months
  • the disability is likely to affect your or your child’s education for at least 3 months

The type of support you might be eligible for will depend on your situation. Once we receive your application, we will assess it and decide which support will best help you or your child. In the case of disability equipment (‘hulpmiddelen’), we work with specific suppliers and must purchase goods and services from them.

Please note: We only offer support to children in mainstream education (‘regulier onderwijs’). However, we do pay for a communication support worker (‘schrijf- of gebarentolk’) for children in special educational needs education (‘speciaal onderwijs’).

Some support is subject to an income threshold. Find out more about the maximum amount you can expect to receive (‘normbedragen voorzieningen’).

If you cannot perform certain tasks at work because of visual or mobility issues, you can request help or assistance from an intermediary service (‘ondersteuning van een intermediair’). If you qualify for compensation for an intermediary service, we will pay the support worker (‘hulpverlener’) directly.

Support for transport to and from your place of work or education:

  • rental costs of adapted vehicles or wheelchair vans
  • vehicle adaptations
  • driving lessons in an adapted vehicle
  • running costs of your wheelchair van or adapted vehicle
  • mileage allowance for using your own transport, sometimes including private mileage
  • transport by taxi
  • mobility equipment such as an electric wheelchair, disability tricycle or mobility scooter

Support to help you work or study or your child study:

  • communication support such as a Braille display or an alternative keyboard
  • orthopaedic work shoes
  • furniture such as a disability chair or a standing or raising aid

We can also provide a communication support worker for the following situations:

  • at your workplace as an employee or self-employed individual
  • when looking for work
  • when starting a business
  • for your education
  • for your child’s education, both in mainstream and special educational needs education
  • in daily life, such as visits to the doctor, weddings and funerals

Find out how to apply for these services and the number of hours we reimburse (‘Tolkvoorziening schrijf- of gebarentolk’).

You can apply for an allowance to cover the cost of workplace adjustment that help you do your job. Examples of adjustments are an adapted toilet, a stair lift or adjustments to your business premises.

There are several financial support schemes for employers who want to hire or retain employees with a disability. These schemes can be useful to your employer, your future employer or yourself:

  • inclusive employment incentives directory (‘financieel CV’)
  • wage subsidy scheme (‘loonkostenvoordeel’)
  • trial placement (‘proefplaatsing’)
  • job coach (‘jobcoach’)
  • minimum wage exemption scheme (‘loondispensatie’)
  • risk-free scheme for employers (‘looncompensatie bij ziekte’ or ‘no-riskpolis’)
  • compensation scheme for hiring previously unemployed older individuals (‘compensatieregeling’)
  • compensation for workplace adjustments (‘aanpassingen op de werkplek’)

If you fell ill or got a disability before age 18 or during your studies and need support to find or keep work, you can apply for a disability employment assessment (in Dutch). We will assess if you can earn the minimum wage without support. If not, we will include you in the Access to work register (‘doelgroepregister’). You will have a better chance of finding work, because it is financially attractive for employers to hire or retain someone who is registered in the Access to work register.

If you are planning to start your own business, you need to know how much money you will need. If necessary, you might be able to get a private loan, a bank loan or a loan from Qredits (the national institute for microfinancing). We can sometimes act as a guarantor. If you cannot get a loan, you can apply for one with us.

There are two types of loans we can offer if you are starting up a business. The reimbursement scheme for start-up expenses (‘voorbereidingskrediet’) and the start-up loan (‘starterskrediet’). Find out more about the schemes and how much you can expect to borrow (‘kosten hulp hulpmiddel start eigen bedrijf’).

There are obligations that you must meet in order to be considered for a start-up expense reimbursement scheme or start-up loan:

  • You will be doing work that matches your skills and experience.
  • You have not started your business yet.
  • You have a business plan outlining your business goals.
  • You live in the Netherlands and will establish your business there. In some cases, you may qualify if you live in the Dutch-Belgian or Dutch-German border region or will start your business there.

The following documents must be included with your application:

  • a recent credit check from the Dutch financial registration office (‘Stichting BKR’)
  • a statement showing that you could not get a loan from a bank or Qredits

You can use the money from your start-up expense reimbursement to cover your initial business costs. If your application for a start-up loan is denied, you do not have to repay the reimbursement money you already spent. However, if you decide to withdraw your start-up loan application, you must repay the reimbursement amount.
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