While the remote work debate rages on, one implication of normalizing WFH is hard to argue with: it makes work much easier for many people with disabilities.
The group, representing 42.5m Americans, reached a 37.6% labor-force participation rate in August, approaching a record from 2008, per Bloomberg.
Commuting…
… can be a deal breaker for workers with disabilities, preventing many from joining the workforce. Some other benefits of remote work include:
- Mobility, since not all offices are designed to accommodate workers with disabilities.
- Privacy, allowing workers to attend to bodily needs during the workday.
One worker said interviewing over Zoom can also help avoid biases from potential employers noticing her wheelchair.
The trend is poised to continue
With many firms struggling to fill open positions, workers with disabilities are being viewed as an untapped talent pool.
- Thomas Foley who leads the National Disability Institute said he’s seen rising interest in his organization’s employment services.
Further, the mainstream adoption of remote work could lead more companies to offer remote work as an option for workers with disabilities, even if other workers still need to show up in person.
