“Remote work and remote work options have been advocated by our community for decades. And suddenly, yes, let’s do it,” said Charles-Edouard Catherine, director of business and government relations for the National Organization on Disability.
Still, he said the change was a welcome one. For Katherine, who is blind, not having to commute means not coming home with a cut on her forehead or a bruise on her leg. For those with even more severe travel restrictions, remote work is the only option.
Many employers are now scaling back remote work and encouraging or requiring employees to return to the office. But experts expect remote and hybrid work to be much more common and widely accepted than before the pandemic. This may make it easier for employees with disabilities to continue working remotely.
The pandemic could also reshape the legal environment. Employers have often resisted offering remote work as an accommodation for workers with disabilities, and judges have rarely requested remote work. But that could change now, with so many businesses adapting to remote work in 2020, says Arlene S. Kanter, director of the Disability Law and Policy Program at Syracuse University School of Law. said Mr.
“If other people can demonstrate that they can work well from home, as they did during COVID-19, people with disabilities should be denied that right as a matter of adaptation. No,” Kanter said.
Kanter and other experts warn that not all people with disabilities want to work remotely. Also, many jobs cannot be done from home. Disabled workers are disproportionately employed in retail and other industries where remote work is not common. Despite recent advances, people with disabilities are far less likely to have a job and are still more likely to live in poverty than those without a job.
“When you say it’s historically high, it’s completely true, but I don’t mean to smack myself by sending the wrong message,” Katherine said. Even if they do get a job, the wages are still low.”