Remote Jobs for Disabled People: Creating More Opportunities for People With Disabilities
The above picture shows a woman sitting on a couch with her laptop open and working.
Remote Jobs for Disabled People: Creating More Opportunities
Perhaps one of the biggest changes to the American workforce that resulted from the pandemic was a mass shift to remote work. Many existing jobs transitioned to a work-from-home format. New jobs were created to keep productivity high from afar.
This shift led to one of the highest employment rates for disabled workers, and this isn't something we should turn our backs on now that the pandemic is more manageable.
How have things changed since the first two years of the pandemic? How can remote jobs for disabled people enrich and strengthen the workforce? What jobs are available today?
Read on to learn more about remote jobs for disabled workers.
How Much Has Remote Work Increased?
Starting in late 2021, we saw the start of a reversal. Many companies that had switched to a remote work model asked employees to come back to the office. While some made accommodations for disabled workers who benefited from an at-home setup, others eliminated those roles.
As of this year, over 12% of jobs are remote while nearly a quarter offer workers a hybrid schedule in which work from home some days and in the office others.
The good news is that remote work is predicted to continuously rise. It may seem like the remote workforce is filled up, but new opportunities crop up every day.
How Remote Work Improves the Workforce
You may remember that in the early days of the mass shift to remote work, many employers worried how working from home might impact productivity. A Harvard study found that the opposite was true and that remote work actually strengthened the workforce.
For starters, many employees exhibited more productivity when working from home. One possible reason is that working from a home office eliminates some of the distractions that occur in a typical office space. Another possible reason is that remote workers feel more incentivized to stay focused and get things done in a timely manner.
Plus, remote work made an entire segment of the workforce more employable. Disabled workers have a lot to offer, whether that's prior experience, education, or a unique perspective. When disabled workers are able to achieve their goals, they improve the overall quality of our employment landscape.
Why Remote Work Creates Accessibility
If you're a disabled worker who has faced difficulty finding a job, you may have hesitations about remote work. Will it really improve your prospects and make your job easier to manage? Here are some of the ways that remote work creates accessibility.
Eliminating Transportation Issues
There are many reasons why unemployed people with disabilities may struggle with transportation. This can include driving restrictions, lack of public transportation, and lack of disposable income to cover the cost of things like ride shares. Working from home, unsurprisingly, eliminates transportation issues.
Creating a Low-Distraction Environment
Some disabilities make distractions untenable for a productive day. For example, workers with autism may struggle with certain sensory stimuli that tend to exist in the traditional work environment. By working from home, disabled workers can create the ideal work environment that will allow them to stay focused and take breaks as needed.
Keeping Things Germ-Free
We often forget that some disabilities are neither cognitive nor visible and instead have to do with a low-functioning immune system. Certain disorders and medications compromise the immune system, making the possibility of contracting an illness much more serious. Remote work reduces the chances of getting everything from the common cold to COVID-19.
Having Accommodations On Hand
Employers are required to provide accommodations but only within certain parameters. They may not be able to match the level of accommodations that disabled person already has at home. Remote work allows disabled workers to make their own accommodations as they see fit without the paperwork, cost, or waiting period.
Remote Jobs for Disabled Workers
What kind of innovative jobs are out there? Here are just a few industries that are increasing disability employment in 2023.
Top Industries That Require Degrees
If your background is in computer science, IT, or cybersecurity, you're in luck. Remote jobs under the IT umbrella are booming in 2023.
Anyone with a financial background will also discover plenty of relevant remote job listings. Accountants and bookkeepers are in high demand across industries.
Other industries looking for remote workers in 2023 include:
- Health care
- HR and recruiting
- Marketing
- Technical writing
- Project management
- Graphic design
Note that many employers will consider applicants with experience that is comparable to a formal degree.
Top Industries That Don't Require Degrees
Many unemployed people with disabilities don't have a degree. Unfortunately, many of the barriers present in the workforce are also present in academia.
However, there are many remote roles that don't require a degree, including:
- Social media management
- Virtual assistance
- Customer service
- Email marketing
- Content writing
- Translating and interpreting
- Sales
- Search engine analysis
While some of these roles require a certain level of expertise, you can often find the information you need for free or at low cost online. For example, disabled workers can brush up on skills like grammar and sentence structure online to become more qualified for content writing roles.
Remote work has also made it feasible to take a less conventional approach to your resume. For example, if you have a successful social media page of your own, you can use your own metrics to establish your knowledge of and success with different social media platforms.
Find the Right Remote Jobs to Accommodate Your Disability
Remote work has had a positive impact on the number of active workers with disabilities. However, the unemployment rate is still lower than it should be for disabled workers. We hope that this guide has given you insight into the present and future of remote jobs for disabled workers and which industries will allow you to build a career from home.
If you're looking for a disability-friendly job board, you're in the right place. We are constantly updating our job listings, resources, and resume builder to make work more accessible for those with disabilities. Take a look at our current listings.