Remote work has benefitted many people with disabilities by removing access barriers and supporting work-life balance. However, the remote work model also has potential adverse physical and psychological impacts that need to be addressed. - BY Jeremiah Prince

Pre-pandemic, people with disabilities worldwide had enormous difficulty being hired. Then the pandemic arrived, and during the pandemic, employment of people with disabilities rose worldwide because employers were willing to agree to remote work to maintain productivity. Post-pandemic, the employment rate remains higher than pre-pandemic, but in the European Union, only 51.3% of persons with disabilities were employed in 2023 compared to 75.6% of persons without disabilities. The U.S. numbers are much lower, with 22.5% of persons with disabilities employed compared to 65.8% for those without disabilities. Still, on a positive note, the employment rate for people with disabilities is the highest ever recorded.

Yet employment levels alone don’t tell the whole story. The remote work model has had both positive and negative effects on persons with disabilities. Higher employment rates are encouraging but could be much higher if remote work was more accessible. In addition, persons with disabilities are more likely to be retained if inclusive practices embrace strategies to address the ongoing physical and psychological challenges of remote.

Positive Impacts of Remote Work

For many people with disabilities, remote work has meant finally getting much-needed employment. Due to special needs, like requirements for specialized goods and services, people with disabilities often have a higher cost of living. Most government disability programs leave people struggling to make ends meet. This is an especially acute frustration for those people with disabilities who are fully capable of working if work is made accessible, and especially for those whose main issue is a mobility challenge.

Remote work thus has several positive impacts on individuals with disabilities. It eliminates the need for commuting, which can be particularly challenging for individuals with mobility impairments or those living in areas with inadequate public transportation. Even if public transportation is available, it is stressful to physically navigate in many areas. Some people with disabilities also have a range of communication challenges, including vision and hearing impairments that make them fearful of public transportation.

Remote work benefits those who experience sensory overload due to cognitive or sensory disabilities in an office or other workplace environment by removing the need to place oneself in the middle of these distractions. A home environment can be customized to meet individual accessibility needs, providing a more comfortable and productive workspace with any and all assistive technologies to help overcome communication barriers. People with disabilities can also set up and use the technologies to meet their needs in ways that may be difficult in an office when other people are working nearby, such as turning the phone’s sound up as loud as it will go or using computers that convert text to speech.

Remote work often allows for more flexible hours and schedules, enabling individuals to manage their health needs better. This flexibility can be crucial for those with chronic illnesses or disabilities that require regular medical appointments or rest periods. Working from home can enhance work-life balance, reducing stress and fatigue in traditional office environments. Associated with reduced stress is the reality that biases persist concerning people with disabilities. Working from home enables them to avoid attitudinal barriers and concentrate on their work.

Need for Inclusive Practices

Giving any employee remote work without a support system sets the person up for failure, and this is particularly true for people with disabilities. Despite the many positive aspects of remote work, the transition to remote work accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for inclusive practices and accessibility in the workplace. Not all individuals with disabilities have access to the necessary technology or internet connectivity required for remote work. Additionally, some software and platforms may not be fully accessible to those with visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments.

While a home environment may be ideal for some, for others home workspaces may not always be ergonomically suitable, potentially leading to physical discomfort or injury. Individuals with disabilities might require specialized equipment not readily available at home. Remote communication can also be challenging for individuals with hearing or cognitive disabilities. Meetings and collaboration often rely heavily on verbal communication, which may not always be accessible.

Planning for Success

It is essential for employers offering or interested in offering remote work to people with disabilities to develop strategies to make it more accessible. First, ensure all work-related software and platforms are compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, speech-to-text applications, and alternative input devices. If remote workers cannot communicate with coworkers and managers, the ability to collaborate is minimized. This puts the person with a disability in a position of being unable to join project teams and pursue career enhancement opportunities. Using multiple modes of communication to accommodate different needs, including email, chat, video calls, and written summaries of meetings, is an inclusive practice. Ensuring that video calls have captioning or sign language interpretation available for those who need it is another inclusive practice.

The strategy to provide employees with the necessary hardware and software to facilitate accessible remote work is coupled with training employees with disabilities and all other employees on accessibility best practices and the use of accessible technology. Promoting awareness about the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities and how to accommodate them in a remote work environment builds inclusiveness.

Remote work can lead to social isolation, which may exacerbate mental health issues. Individuals with disabilities may already face social barriers, and the lack of in-person interaction can increase feelings of loneliness and isolation. Employer benefits can provide access to mental health resources, such as counseling services, virtual support groups, and wellness programs. Organizational leaders should develop skills like regular check-ins and encouraging social interactions through virtual team-building activities.

Overcoming Low Expectations for People with Disabilities

Many people with disabilities work part-time, receive minimum pay or work in isolated workshops outside the open labor market. Their labor potential is underused. The European Human Rights report offers insights from the experiences of people with disabilities, and most stories demonstrate that employers impede the success of people with disabilities due to low expectations (bias). Unfortunately, the perspective of some employers and employees is that the organization is doing people with disabilities a favor by giving them employment.

If bias is to be eliminated, an essential strategy is to think in a way that is genuinely inclusive. The goal is not simply to give someone a job. The goal is to provide the same opportunities to be a productive member of the workforce. Unless the employer proactively discusses topics like flexible scheduling needs and workload management to accommodate needs like medical appointments and therapy sessions, there is no way to know what the employee needs to succeed. The manager should discuss career aspirations, too. Assuming the employee is unable to advance through skills development because of being a person with a disability reflects bias. Employing remote workers with disabilities benefits people and the organization when managed inclusively.