After completing an online master’s degree during the pandemic, Kate Thompson, 48, got offered a teaching position by the university. Due to a degenerative spinal condition, she was able to get an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation that allowed her to work remotely full-time, which was the only way to could have accepted the offer.
“The long commute and long days upright without brief periods where I could work lying down would not have been viable for me,” she says.
For Thompson (and the 26 percent of American adults have some kind of disability), this type of workplace flexibility was not as feasible before the COVID-19 pandemic because, historically, people with disabilities have primarily been hired for low-income jobs that require being physically present to perform.
However, the shift toward telework necessitated by state-at-home orders opened the door to more opportunities to WFH in various fields. During the pandemic, the portion of the labor force remote working leapt from 17 percent to 44 percent at WFH’s peak in 2020.
But today, workers with disabilities are more likely to WFH than people without disabilities (an estimated one in five). What’s more, people with disabilities who telework are more likely to be self-employed than people without disabilities. An estimated 4.4 million businesses started during the pandemic, and many entrepreneurs with disabilities were among them.
Why WFH isn’t a fix-all for people with disabilities
Although this shift has led to some meaningful progress in the workplace for people with disabilities, as well as neurodivergent individuals, it is far from a perfect solution. People with disabilities still face a wage gap (87 cents for every dollar people without disabilities make, according to the U.S. Census Bureau), toxic work environments, and stereotyping.
What’s more, only about 40 percent of people with disabilities are currently employed, compared with nearly 75 percent of people without, according to a January 2023 report by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Still, people like Jay (who is using a pseudonym) see it as a step in the right direction. An academic who lives with both cognitive and physical disabilities, as well as a compromised immune system, Jay says, “Working from home gives me the freedom to focus on tasks when I have the mental and physical energy for them, and also saves me energy that I would normally spend commuting to and from work.”
How telework helps people with disabilities balance work and life
Studies show that telework is associated with higher job satisfaction and lower rates of absence for people with disabilities. The study authors explain that WFH may reduce pain and fatigue, as well as offer workers more time for breaks and work-life balance, which both Thompson and Jay say makes working more feasible for them.
Jay also notes that pursuing their career from home kept them from burning out and compromising their health as a result. “When I realized this, I started working from home part-time, as well as getting other accommodations to make my [in-person] work environment more comfortable and accessible, like asking for a parking spot nearer my office than the regular employee parking or making sure my office is in a building with an elevator,” they say.
Where WFH levels the playing field for people with disabilities
Another way WFH culture has impacted people with disabilities, specifically those with speech impediments, is that more business is conducted via digital communication, like email and Slack, which allows for fewer meetings and stop-by-the-cubicle talks that normally happen in office settings.
Recently, John Moore, a marketing strategist who speaks with a stutter, told InclusionHub, digital communication levels the playing field in some ways. “It comes down to being stigmatized. People with speech difficulty get stigmatized for being less intelligent, less educated, and less capable. We know exactly what we want to say, it just may potentially take us longer to say it.”
For all these reasons and more, people with disabilities are keen to keep working from home, and above all, the National Organization on Disability supports flexible work policies, its associate director of special projects for the organization, Charles Catherine, told CNN.
What remote workers with disabilities gain in flexibility, they lose in visibility
Being able to work from home certainly has its advantages, but there are downsides to consider that can be especially impactful for already marginalized groups. For starters, WFH may negatively affect an employee’s ability to be considered for promotions and training opportunities.
Furthermore, according to researchers at Georgia Tech, telework also puts constraints on the scope of jobs, workplace environment, and networking abilities of those with disabilities.
It can also be lonely at times, according to Jay, who says, “Working from home when the rest of my coworkers are in person can feel isolating and make me feel disconnected.”
Another, less obvious downside is that it reduces the visibility of people with disabilities in workplaces, something Joshua Reeves, a campaign support officer with cerebral palsy, pointed out to Welcome to the Jungle, a company dedicated to recreating how people work.
“I always loved going out, catching trains and talking to people about disability rights awareness and campaigns,” he said.
How a return to office culture could impact people with disabilities
This new year began with a deluge of back-to-the-office orders and folks with disabilities who’ve benefited from working from home now face the potential of heading back to the office, which could undo some of the progress they’ve been able to make toward more equitable work environments during the pandemic.
Because each company can decide how its employees work, the ability to telework is decided on a case-by-case basis. “My current position allows me to work from home and teach online, but I know that my next position may not,” Jay says.
Thompson is in the same position. ”I think that in the near future, it is actually going to be much more difficult to get an accommodation that will allow WFH,” she says. “I think a lot of folks who have disabilities are going to start looking for other jobs that will let them continue at home.”
Written by Sarah Myers