Reports from the United States say that Americans with disabilities are enjoying an unprecedented employment boom — thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Los Angeles Times reported that widespread acceptance of remote working and an overall labour shortage have opened up historic opportunities for some of the nation’s most skilled and underutilised workers.
Bobby Pellechia, a data analyst in Central Texas, told the paper he had held three remote jobs since the pandemic began, each time moving up in position and pay. He said: “I’m proud to be able to go out and earn a living now, especially teleworking, and do it as a blind man.”
The Times said the key question now is whether people with disabilities can hold on to the gains as a recession looms and more employers press their employees to come back to the office.
It added that “experts see a struggle coming with consequences not only for people with disabilities, but also for the whole U.S. economy” and it suggested legal battles could be in prospect as part of a fresh look at the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The paper reported that since the pandemic began, employment of people with disabilities was up nearly 25 per cent.
Mason Ameri, an associate professor at Rutgers University who has been monitoring disability employment, said the shift to telework has been particularly helpful for people with physical difficulties and mobility limitations.
He said: “The ability to get to work via this 10-second commute is to their advantage.”
Russell Rawlings, who lives in Sacramento with cerebral palsy, told the Times he was going into the office from Monday to Friday to work at an independent living centre. He said the commute was only two miles but he still got up at 5 a.m. to make it to work by 8 because it took that long for him to get ready and into his powered wheelchair to the bus stop and to his desk.
The paper said Russell has now started a new, fully remote job as an education organiser for a company which assists domestic workers.
But the report added: “For all the gains made since the pandemic, disability rights advocates say many capable people with disabilities remain unemployed or underemployed because employers fear they will be too costly or lack adequate services to support their employment. Workers with disabilities worry that the momentum built will be lost now that the economy is turning down.”
