Maine Voices: Remote work is not the solution for everyone with disabilities

The newspaper’s Los Angeles Times article (“People with Disabilities Left Out of the Job Market Benefit from COVID Telework Boom,” Dec. 17) found that among people with disabilities who can work remotely, noted the recent employment “boom” of Employment for this group has surged 25% since the pandemic began, and the unemployment rate is reported to have fallen from 12.3% in 2020 to 5.8% in 2022. remote work.

A recent article in the Los Angeles Times encouraged employees with disabilities to telecommute, but like their nondisabled counterparts, many feel that telecommuting is isolating, and they are more likely to find themselves in an office environment. I would like to work with my colleagues. Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock.com

The central question posed in this article was whether these employees would be able to maintain their profits in the face of an impending recession and employer pressure to return to the office. Given the success of , you may wonder why this question is being asked. Perhaps employment security for employees with disabilities is more tenuous than we think.

While these reported employment increases are laudable and encouraging, they apply only to a subset of the disabled community and our long history of excluding people with disabilities from community employment. and continuous patterns.

The unemployment rate across this group is consistently twice that of the able-bodied population. By 2021, less than 20% of people with disabilities will be employed among all working age groups from 16 to her 64, compared to her was 64% of A recent article in Forbes Magazine summed up this bleak picture, showing that even 30 years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there is still widespread public awareness of disability discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities. It concludes that employment accessibility remains a problem because of pervasive attitudes.

Based on a long history of employment exclusion and discrimination, it is understandable that there is some skepticism about the sustainability of recent job growth. We cannot control the effects of the looming recession, but we must deal with the inaccurate beliefs and exclusionary mandates that create disproportionate hardship and the possibility of unemployment for satisfactorily performing people with disabilities. can.

The ADA requires employers to provide “reasonable accommodations” that enable employees with disabilities to perform “essential functions” of certain jobs. Some employers still object to providing such facilities, misinterpreting them as too costly and burdensome. However, a study funded by the Department of Labor’s Disability Employment Policy Office found that most work environments for employees with disabilities are completely costless to implement. The average cost of the rest of the accommodation was $500. Most respondents were satisfied with the results, even when their employers paid large ongoing costs for their accommodation.

Moreover, researchers investigating the impact of hiring people with disabilities have found very positive outcomes, not only for employees, but also for employers and the wider community. According to his one analysis of 39 peer-reviewed studies conducted between 1997 and his 2017, the benefits of hiring people with disabilities include increased business profitability. Employee retention; reliability; punctuality and loyalty; and improved corporate image. Other benefits include increased competitive advantage related to a more diverse customer base. Customer loyalty and satisfaction. Further innovation and improved safety.

Employees themselves report experiencing a more positive work environment. get higher wages. more confident. Make friends and feel a sense of belonging.

Going beyond legal remedies is necessary to combat the continuing social trend of associating physical and behavioral differences with deficiencies. It takes individual and community willingness to challenge inaccurate beliefs and unjust practices and to see human diversity as a normal aspect of social life.

Working remotely isn’t for everyone and comes with its own risks, including social isolation and loneliness. This is certainly not a solution for everyone with disabilities. Many are highly employable, but many are unable or unwilling to work remotely. The lesson to be learned from this remote work success story is that today’s work environment was not designed with workers with disabilities in mind, and that most jobs are successful for different types of people in different ways. recognizing that it can be accomplished Hopefully we don’t need another pandemic to learn this lesson. Create a more accessible and flexible work environment and expand the community her pool of qualified workers.

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