Now that the world of remote working has opened up, more employees are discovering the benefits of working from home. For people living with disabilities, remote work offers myriad opportunities, such as the ability to do their job better or even the ability to work at all.
With the flexibility remote working offers, it’s easy to see why it’s a valuable option for people with disabilities. Remote working offers many benefits, such as the ability to manage surroundings and routines. Using their existing equipment and any home adaptations for many employees is beneficial and valuable to you as an employer, as you may not have to pay for expensive adaptations.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), changing work location can be viewed as a reasonable accommodation. Reasonable accommodations can include many things, such as providing equipment, accessible toilets, remote working, or flex-time.
As an employer, it’s worth knowing in advance the types of equipment your employees may ask for if they are working remotely with a disability. Employees may request a range of accommodations, such as flexible working hours, standing desks, auto-captioning software, screen readers, or speech-to-text software. Some employees may also require an adaptive computer mouse or phone. Neurodiverse employees may benefit from noise-canceling headphones or visual search engines.
Many employees require accommodations for remote working, and you’ll find them across a wide range of disability types.
Remote working can be an asset for businesses, especially for employees who live with disabilities. As always, employers should work closely with their employees to identify modifications and accommodations that provide each individual the most effective way to perform the essential functions of their job.