How to request disability adjustments in court
Contact the court before your hearing, explain the disability-related barrier and request specific changes to documents, communication or hearing arrangements. Ask for written confirmation and clarify any supporting information requested. Factory evidence can be coordinated through Cambridge China Bridge.
Contact the court handling your claim
This guide focuses on a personal purchase from a UK seller and a court claim in England or Wales. For the underlying dispute, use UK seller complaint and court steps. For Scotland or Northern Ireland, ask the court handling your claim about its own adjustment arrangements.
Official guidance says to contact the court you will attend before your hearing date. Start with the contact on your court correspondence. Include your name, case reference and hearing date, if known, and address the request to court staff. For access barriers in the seller’s complaint process, use accessible complaints and returns.
Explain the barrier and the change needed
Court guidance asks you to explain how your disability affects you and what support you need. Describe the task you cannot readily complete: reading scanned documents, using a telephone, following lengthy questioning or moving around the building. Connect each barrier to a specific request and state your preferred contact method.
Adapt this wording: “Please record my disability adjustment request for this case. Image-only documents are inaccessible to my screen reader. Please arrange readable electronic documents and confirm how I should receive them. I also need breaks to manage fatigue. Please confirm the arrangements or discuss an alternative with me.”
Request documents you can use
Ask for the format that works for you, such as large print, readable electronic text, audio guidance or guidance in an easier reading format. Identify the particular forms, notices or instructions affected. Explain what fails in the current version, and ask how documents supplied by the seller will be made usable for you.
For the hearing papers, ask for a clear index, consistent page references and a way to navigate with your assistive technology. Test a sample file before agreeing the format. For Chinese invoices or messages, use Chinese documents in a court claim alongside your accessibility request.
Discuss hearing and building arrangements
Ask about step-free access, accessible toilets, suitable seating, hearing equipment, a British Sign Language interpreter or breaks, according to your needs. Explain difficulties with waiting as well as with the hearing itself. Ask staff to put requests affecting the hearing before the judge and confirm what has been arranged.
A judge can decide to hold a hearing by telephone or video under the relevant rules. If you request remote attendance, explain how it would help and any technology barriers it creates. Ask how you will read papers while participating. If you want a supporter present, explain their proposed role and ask the court what permission is needed.
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Clarify supporting information and follow up
Start with a focused explanation of your needs rather than sending your entire medical history. If staff or the judge request supporting information, ask what issue it should address, what document would help, when it is needed and how to send it. Before sharing sensitive material, ask who will receive it and whether it must be shared with the seller.
Keep the request, replies and agreed arrangements together. Ask for written confirmation, a contact for unresolved access problems and a review if your needs change. If there is no reply, follow up and highlight any approaching hearing or document date. If you also need more time, ask separately for confirmation of that request’s outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Who do I contact for disability adjustments in court?
Contact the court handling your claim before the hearing. Start with your court correspondence and include your case reference, hearing date and the adjustments you need.
Can I ask for accessible court documents?
Ask for the format you can use and identify the affected documents. Explain any screen-reader or reading difficulty, and ask how the seller’s hearing papers will also be made usable.
Can I request a video hearing because of disability?
Yes, explain why remote attendance would help and any technology barriers. A judge decides whether to hold the hearing by telephone or video under the relevant rules.
Do I need to send medical records for adjustments?
Begin by explaining the barrier and support needed. If supporting information is requested, clarify its purpose, scope, deadline and recipients before sending sensitive records.